


Deception

by Jedi9



Series: The Ryder's Journey trilogy [2]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Dark, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Heavy Angst, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Sex, Lesbian Sex, Oral Sex, POV Third Person, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sequel, Smut, Triggers, Vaginal Fingering, Xenophilia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-03-27 15:05:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13883394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jedi9/pseuds/Jedi9
Summary: A year has passed since Ryder and Peebee settled down on Aya to start a family. When a new threat arises, Sara and her wife are forced to return to the life they left behind. Will Ryder be able to overcome impossible odds and make it out alive? Will Peebee be able to keep a devastating secret from her wife?This is a sequel to Missing





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To make sure you have the best experience possible, go read Missing, the first story in the trilogy.  
> Happy reading :)

Peebee woke up alone in bed after yet another restless night. She woke up after the same nightmare for the third night in a row. The dream wasn’t a memory, but rather a product of her imagination and the result of stress and anxiety.

She extended a hand to her left and sighed. No Ryder, just an empty spot next to her, again. The latest tragedy had affected Sara deeply. The Pathfinder blamed herself for it, even if it wasn’t her fault. But, that’s how Ryder was, she always felt responsible whenever shit happened in her life.

Sara’s foul mood hadn’t improved in the few months since their loss, and Peebee was becoming more worried every day. After Sara had stopped the Alpha Kett from destroying Heleus, she and Peebee had settled on Aya and had gotten married. They were happy, but it didn’t last very long. Six months after their wedding, the Angaran doctor had announced them the bad news, the news that destroyed their lives.

The news that Peebee had lost the baby had shattered their hearts, and Ryder had started drinking to numb the pain. Peebee had stopped counting how many times she had dragged Sara out of a bar after a long night of drinking, how many nights she had wasted holding the human’s hair as she vomited in the toilet for hours.

Peebee got up from the bed, put on her nightgown and walked toward the balcony where Ryder stood.

“Hey Sara, bad dream again?” she asked, shivering when the frigid night wind washed over her.

Sara didn’t answer right away, she just stood there, her back turned to the asari. Her hair had grown longer than usual, and Peebee noticed two empty bottles of Angaran beer lying on the small, circular table next to Ryder.

“Babe, I thought you were going to stop drinking!” Peebee reprimanded.

“It’s just two beers!” Ryder answered in a cold and harsh voice.

Peebee felt anger building up inside her guts, and she took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. She already had that talk with Ryder last week, and she wasn't ready for a repeat of it. She decided to approach the situation differently.

“Come back to bed with me,” she murmured in Sara’s ear.

She hugged the Pathfinder from behind, her forehead pressing at the back of Ryder’s head. Sara took a deep breath when Peebee tightened the embrace by crossing her arms over her chest. Peebee enjoyed this fleeting moment of intimacy with her wife, silently hoping that it would last longer than the last one.

Sara surprised Peebee when she put her hands on her hips, softly squeezing them with her fingers. Peebee felt tears sliding down her face; it was the first time that the Pathfinder had touched her in over a month.

“Let’s get back inside; it’s cold out here,” she said to Ryder, using her grip on Sara to nudge her back inside.

Ryder didn’t resist and let herself be dragged back inside the loft she and Peebee had bought. The Angara had been more than happy to let them buy the place; they said they were honored that the Pathfinder had chosen to live on their planet.

The first months had been the best moments of their lives. But then, the miscarriage happened, leading their relationship and lives to an emotional disaster. The mood between them had changed, Peebee had lost her quick smile, and Sara had turned to alcohol, knowing all to well that getting drunk would not bring the baby back.

Despite all the bad things that had happened to them, Peebee wasn’t going to watch their lives go to shit. No, she would fight to save their relationship, even if it meant more tears and restless nights.

Peebee slid under the blanket, enjoying the warmth it provided in contrast to the cold air outside. To her left, Sara took her shirt off and took her place beside her.

A hand touched her blue one, the warm feeling of skin on skin contact made Peebee smile slightly. She knew that Ryder still cared about her, but sometimes, it felt like they were hundreds of light years away from each other.

 _I want this moment to last forever;_ she thought as she clasped her fingers around Ryder’s hand. She began to fall asleep, her eyes slowly closing, when Ryder closed the distance that separated them.

The asari’s eyes shot wide open when she felt Sara’s lips landing on her cheek, filling her with a joy she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Look Peebs, I know I haven’t been the best wife recently, but I don’t want to lose you!” said Ryder in a small voice.

“You’ll never lose me, silly!” Peebee replied.

“You’re the first woman I’ve dated that doesn’t make me feel like I’m worthless,” Ryder continued.  She grimaced as a painful memory came back to her, and it made Peebee wonder what her wife was thinking about right now.

“What’s bothering you, babe?” she put a hand on Ryder’s shoulder, “You can talk to me.”

“Hmm…Back on Earth, there was that girl I used to date when I was a teenager. I’ve had a crush on her since second grade, so you can imagine how excited I was when we started dating.” She paused, her eyes going blank for a fraction of a second. “But, things didn't go as I'd hoped. Our relationship quickly turned abusive, she was drunk all the time, and when she was pissed, she’d hit me to vent her frustration.”

 _Why is she telling me that just now?_ Peebee didn’t say anything as Ryder tried to keep her feelings in check. She was sad for her wife, but she didn’t know where Sara was going with this story.

“Once, she beat me so hard that I had to stay at the hospital for three days. What I’m trying to say is, I don’t want to be like her, I don’t want to be a drunk, violent bitch!”

Peebee stroked Sara’s face, tracing a line along her jaw with her fingers. The human closed her eyes as the asari caressed her. “There’s no chance you’ll become like that babe,” said Peebee in a reassuring tone. She had known Ryder long enough to know that she will never be like that.

“I just don’t want to lose you, Peebs,” murmured Ryder with her eyes still closed.

Peebee felt fatigued once again, but before sleep overtakes her, she wanted to do something that she hadn’t done in a while. _Please let me kiss you, please._

She leaned closer to Sara and tempted her chance. With her hand still on the Pathfinder’s face, she kissed her on the lips. The world seemed to slow down as Sara, for once in a long time, let herself be kissed.

“Thanks, I really needed this,” said Ryder when Peebee broke from the long kiss.

“Yeah, me too. Don’t worry Sara; you’ll never lose me.”

Peebee laid on her back once again, slowly closing her heavy eyelids. She was happy to see that Ryder still cared about their relationship. As her consciousness drifted to sleep, she began dreaming about that long kiss she had shared with her wife and, somehow, it made her feel better.

 

* * *

 

When Peebee woke up in the morning, she was delighted to see that Sara had spent the whole night with her. The asari gazed at the sleeping human, she always looked so beautiful and at peace when she was sleeping. Ryder’s long red hair ran along her naked back, stopping at the edge of her ass, giving her a look that Peebee had only seen in those weird, human movies Sara had shown her.

Peebee rolled off the bed, careful not to wake Sara as she slid off the mattress and put on her clothes. Her purple jacket and leggings had a fresh aroma, Sara must have washed them the day before.

The loft she and Ryder had bought on Aya was spacious enough for ten people. The walls were covered with framed pictures of their wedding, and Peebee smiled when she walked past them. She remembered how much happiness she had felt that day when she made Ryder her wife. The whole team had come to celebrate with them, Kallos and Suvi had brought gifts for the baby, and Scott, with Drack’s help, had baked a delicious chocolate and vanilla cake.

 _If only we could go back to that day, we were so happy!_ She reached the kitchen, opened a shelf and took a pair of cups. When the coffee was ready, she poured in the mugs, setting them aside as she prepared the breakfast.

“Hey, good morning sleeping beauty!” Peebee said when Ryder appeared in the room.

“Hi, what are you cooking?” Sara asked between two yawns.

The Pathfinder looked tired as she dragged herself to a chair near the counter, fingers rubbing her still sleepy blue eyes. The smell of eggs and toasted bread must have woken her from her slumber, Peebee thought.

“Eggs and toasts, I've heard humans love this!” she told Ryder.

“Love this! Hell, I adore eggs!”

Peebee smiled as she slid the steaming plate of food to Ryder. Sara inhaled the sweet odor of the eggs, smiling as she dug her fork into the gooey yellow thing.

Peebee grimaced as she watched Ryder devour her breakfast, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't understand why humans loved this weird combination of food so much. The thing they called an egg, was the most bizarre and stickiest thing she had ever tried to put into her mouth.

“Here, I made coffee as well,” she said, handing the human a mug.

“Can’t start my day without my coffee,” Sara replied.

Peebee moved to a chair next to Sara and began opening her emails on her datapad, careful not to spill any cereals or milk on the device. As she went through the junk emails in her inbox, she felt a warm hand gently squeeze her thigh. Intrigued, Peebee sat the datapad on the table and looked at her wife.

“I know I haven’t been the best partner recently, but I want to make it up to you,” said Sara, her hand squeezing a little bit harder on Peebee’s thigh.

“I have a few ideas if you're interested,” Peebee replied in a sensual voice.

She pushed Ryder’s chair toward hers, and when the human was closer to her, she sat on her lap, straddling her. Sara passed her tongue on her lips, wetting them so that they could slide more on Peebee’s lovely blue lips. No one loved a dry kiss after all.

“I’ve always wanted to try kitchen sex!” said Peebee, licking her lips.

“You always choose the weirdest places to have sex. First the zero-G chamber, then the Nomad, then the vault on Kadara, and now the kitchen!”

“I've never heard you complaining, Pathfinder!”

“Well,” Sara’s face moved closer to the asari’s, “ I guess I have weird tastes too.”

Peebee chuckled and slid one finger under Ryder’s shirt, teasing the skin under the human’s waistband. She slowly traced a line on the warm skin with her finger, sometimes sliding inside Sara’s pants, causing the human to breath faster.

“Any preferred positions?” Sara asked.

“How about you stop talking and start using that big mouth of yours for something else?” Peebee replied, sliding her hand inside Ryder’s underwear. She began teasing Sara’s sex with her fingers, moving them in a circle around her vagina, occasionally thrusting one of them inside her clit.

The human moaned and brought her lips to Peebee’s neck, gently sucking the soft blue flesh. “That’s better!” Peebee groaned, her eyes half closed.

Peebee grabbed Sara’s back with her free hand and pushed her closer to her body. She began thrusting her hips back and forth, rubbing her crotch on Sara’s. Ryder unbuttoned Peebee's jacket and then grabbed and her breasts with both hands.

Sara lifted the asari in her strong arms and laid Peebee down on the counter. Ryder stripped her of her leggings, threw them aside and began kissing her thighs. Peebee's heart pounded in her chest as she felt Ryder’s tongue sliding down her leg.

Sara stopped at her sex, and with a full grin on her face, dipped her tongue inside Peebee. She used both hands to spread the asari’s legs, giving her full, unobstructed access to Peebee’s wet pussy.

The asari grabbed both edges of the counter so hard that it made her knuckles go white. She looked down to see Ryder’s face buried in her crotch. She felt an itch at the back of her head; she wanted to meld her mind with Sara, to go to that place they had created for themselves where the distractions of the world didn’t affect them.

Peebee closed her eyes as she connected her mind with Ryder’s, and the world around them shifted to a more quiet and soothing display. Multicolored clouds and stars surrounded them, it was so calming to be back in that world.

A thought came to her, she heard it as clearly as if it had been spoken out loud. The thought was not hers, but in the mind meld, they could also communicate together with their minds. It was a more efficient and personal way to express one’s feelings, Peebee thought. In here, she could feel how Ryder felt, and right now, she felt profound sadness from her partner.

“Sara, you’re suffering so much!” she physically said in a sad voice.

Ryder gave her a shy smile, and she tried to hide her feelings by covering them with happy thoughts. But, Peebee had already felt Sara’s distress, and now she felt sorry for her wife. She didn’t know how she could help Ryder overcome this grief, but she would try to find a solution soon before Sara’s state deteriorated even more.

Peebee gently pushed the human closer to her and stared into her sad blue eyes. She thought of the joy she had felt during their wedding and sent all this happiness in Ryder’s direction, hoping that it would ease her pain.

“It’s not your fault that I lost the baby, Sara. You can’t blame yourself for everything!” she said.

Ryder closed her eyes, she was trying to forget the painful memory but she couldn’t. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t forget. It had scarred her deeply, leaving a wound that Peebee could not see or treat.

“What if it was my fault? What if, by installing SAM in my system, it had fucked up something in my genes?” Sara asked. Fresh tears stung her half-opened eyes and slid down her cheeks.

“Listen to me. It was no one's fault, not yours and not mine. Shit happens in life Ryder, and there is nothing we can do about that. We have to move forward.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Sara allowed the asari to hug her, and the world around them began to shift back toward reality as the meld started to dissolve.

Peebee reopened her eyes and blinked a couple of times, allowing her pupils to adjust to the bright light of the kitchen. Sara was hovering above her, a sad look in her eyes as she untangled herself from Peebee’s hug.

She sighed as she watched the Pathfinder disappear into their room, closing the door behind her. Peebee decided to give her some alone time, so she spent the rest of the morning alone, reading emails and news on her datapad.

 

* * *

 

At night, Peebee woke up in a start after hearing a loud shriek. She sat upright; her eyes were wide open as she looked around the dark chamber. She saw Ryder sobbing quietly in a dark corner of the room, sitting with her arms crossed on her knees. _Another nightmare?_

She got up from the bed and knelt next to Sara, putting a hand on her shoulder. Ryder was shivering as she tried to stop the tears from coming out.

“Hey, talk to me?” Peebee said. “Another nightmare?”

“Yes, but it felt so real!” Ryder shook uncontrollably as she began sobbing once again.

“What was it about?”

“The Archon, the Alpha Kett, and the Remnants. You, the team, you were all dead, and I was left alone! Peebs it felt so real!”

“It’s okay, it’s over now.” she hugged the human. “I’m here see, I’m not dead and your not alone.”

Sara buried her head in Peebee’s neck, crying softly as the asari patted her consolingly on the back. _I have to call Lexi; she’ll know how to help._

She did not know how to help someone who was suffering from PTSD, heck she never would have suspected Ryder of suffering from it if she hadn’t talked with Lexi the day before. Peebee had arranged a meeting with Ryder’s team; she suspected that seeing their friends would be good for the human.

Peebee passed her hand in Sara’s hair, cradling her in her arms. She remembered a trick that Lexi had given her a year ago; it was a breathing exercise that was supposed to calm a person who was having a panic attack, by inhaling air by the nose for four seconds, holding it for the same amount of time, and then, exhaling it from the mouth.

“Remember the breathing exercise that Lexi taught us? Well, we’re going to do that, ok Sara?”

Ryder nodded and began taking long deep breaths. Peebee felt a glint of satisfaction when the exercise calmed Ryder, her breathing was now even, and she had ceased her sobbing. “Scott and the team are coming over to visit us tomorrow, I’m sure it’ll be good for the both of us!” she told Sara.

Peebee helped Ryder to her feet and led her back to bed. Sara slid under the warm, cozy blanket and stared at her wife for a long moment without saying a word.

“Thanks!” she finally said.

“For what?”

“For being you. I couldn’t get through this without you.”

“Aww, I knew you cared about me!” joked Peebee, trying to put a smile on Sara’s face.

Sara chuckled softly, and, for the first time in a long, long time, it was a genuine smile. Peebee felt proud of herself, not only she had calmed her wife, but she had also managed to make her laugh, and she had accomplished all that in one night.

With Ryder clasped in her arms, Peebee fell asleep with her head buried in the back of the human’s neck. That night, she dreamed of the first time she had met the human Pathfinder on Eos, dreamed of how happy the young woman had been after reactivating the vault. She hoped that she would see her wife that joyful again one day.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Ryder had woken up an hour before Peebee did, and when the asari finally mustered the will to get out of bed and to drag herself to the kitchen, she had found her lovely wife preparing breakfast. Sara had put on her most dazzling blouse, her hair had been chopped off to Initiative regulations, and she had applied some makeup as well.

The floor and furniture were dust free, and Sara had also washed all the dirty dishes from yesterday. _What is going on with her?_ Was she that energetic because the team was coming to visit? Or was she having a mental breakdown? Peebee always had a hard time understanding humans, and Ryder was no exception to the rule.

“Someone’s happy!” she told Sara, hugging her from behind. “You look pretty today.”

“Do you like my new haircut?” Sara asked.

“New? You always had that ponytail ever since I met you, Ryder.” Peebee fondled Sara’s red hair, letting the loose strands pass between her fingers. “But I like when you dress them like that, I can see your lovely eyes better this way.”

“Flatterer!” Ryder chuckled.

Sara poured hot coffee into two cups and passed one to Peebee. The asari sat on a chair next to the counter, blew at the steaming beverage and took a sip. She and Sara had many things in common, one of them was their love for the universal drug they drank every morning to make their days better. Ryder wasn't livable if she didn't have her daily cup, and when Peebee remembered how irritable the human had been when they ran out of coffee, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

“What’s so funny?” Sara asked, confused by her mate’s sudden outburst of joy.

“Just remembering the old days,” Peebee answered between two sips.

When Sara sat next to her, Peebee noticed that the human’s pupils were unusually dilated. She also saw that her fingers were twitching slightly, a tic that Peebee had never seen in Sara. _Tell me that’s not what I think it is!_

“Why’s your hand shaking?” she asked.

“I’m a little bit chilly I guess,” Sara lied.

“Ryder, it’s eighty degrees out there, you think I’m stupid?”

Sara turned her gaze away from Peebee, unable to support the asari’s piercing gaze any longer. Ryder didn’t like lying, Peebee knew, but she just did nonetheless.

“Ok, ok, I took some crack. You happy now?” Sara admitted in a harsh voice. Sara could never lie to Peebee, and the asari knew that Ryder couldn't withstand her hard stares very long.

Before Peebee could say anything, before she could try to reassure Ryder that she wasn’t as pissed off as she looked, Sara stormed out of the room. Peebee sighed and felt guilty for not being more gentle with her wife. _That’s why relationships are so hard. I miss the old days of not having to worry about anyone else but myself._

But, as much as relationships were complicated, Peebee couldn’t imagine herself living without Sara, and she knew that the human was also feeling the same for her. Neither of them wanted to be apart for more than a day, even during their hard times.

 _I’ll be here for you Ryder, just like you were there for me when I needed you the most._ She remembered how kind and understanding Sara had been when she had opened herself to her for the first time.

Peebee finished her coffee and went after Ryder. It took her few minutes to find her; the loft was big enough to house a family of five Krogans, so sometimes, it was hard to find Sara when she wanted to be alone. Peebee wasn’t surprised when she saw that Sara had exiled herself to the roof, she knew that it was her favorite spot to think and relax.

“I’m not in the mood for another lecture!” Ryder said without looking back at her.

“And I wasn’t going to give you one either,” Peebee answered as she sat next to Ryder. She glanced down and saw some Angara walking on the sidewalks. Peebee had never been afraid of heights, but she had to admit that she was a little scared of falling off the edge.

“Listen, I’m sorry if I was a little harsh earlier. But I’m worried about you that’s all.”

“I know,” Sara whispered. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her legs. “I’m so caught up in my shit that I always forget to ask if you're okay.”

“I’m not feeling great, to be honest. Sometimes I wish we never left the Tempest.”

Sara nodded in understanding. Peebee knew that Ryder was feeling the same, and she felt guilty for having yanked the human away from her duties as the Pathfinder. _She also wanted to leave; it’s not like I’ve forced her to drop everything._

“C’mon, let's get back inside, the Tempest is supposed to arrive soon,” Peebee said as she got up.

 

* * *

 

The doorbell rang twice, and Sara was so happy to see their friends finally, that she almost ran to the door. She greeted them inside their house while Peebee finished setting up the table. Kallo and Suvi were the firsts to enter, they hugged Ryder and dropped their bags on the counter. Peebee eyed the old wine bottle the Salarian had brought, and she licked her lips in anticipation.

“Smells great in here,” Suvi told Peebee. The asari still struggle to understand what the young scientist was saying; her heavy Scottish accent always gave her translator a hard time.

“I hope so, Ryder cleaned the counter and the table three times this morning,” Peebee answered.

“Nice house you got here,” Cora chimed in from the couch.

Peebee looked at the blond woman and frowned when she realized that Scott wasn’t with her. _That’s odd, ever since those two started their relationship, she and Scott are never apart. I wonder if they also go to the bathroom together?_

“This place is too clean,” said Drack. His large form barely fit through the doorway, the Angara who built this place clearly didn’t have a Krogan in mind when they made the designs.

When Lexi entered, Peebee raced to meet her and dragged her away so they could speak without Ryder eavesdropping on their conversation. Sara threw a confused look at her, but Peebee ignored it and led the doctor into her room.

“Tell me you have the results?” she asked Lexi.

“Yes.” Lexi gave her a datapad. “But it’s not the good news you were hoping for.”

Peebee took the datapad and read the file under Ryder’s name. Her heart sank as she read the results of the numerous tests Lexi had run.

“Ryder can’t know about this!” she told the doctor.

“You want to keep this from her? Don’t you think that she deserves to know that your baby died because of her?”

“It’s not because of her!” Peebee snapped. “It’s because of all the experiments the Kett did on her for months. I just told her last night that it wasn’t her fault, it would kill her if she finds out about this.”

“It’s your decision,” Lexi shook her head, “but know that if she finds out, she might never talk to you again.”

 _She’s right. Our relationship is already on thin ice as it is, she might never forgive me for that. But, that’s a risk I’m willing to take, I won’t let the Kett destroy her, never!_ Peebee gave the datapad back to Lexi and left the room.

 

“Scott said he’s sorry he couldn’t come,” Peebee heard Cora tell Ryder when she reappeared in the kitchen with Lexi.

“Is he alright?” Sara asked anxiously.

Cora explained to her that her twin brother was on the Nexus, taking care of a dispute between the administration and the Angaran representatives. Ryder rolled her eyes, glad that she did have to deal with politics anymore.

Peebee opened the stove to look at the meat she was cooking, half listening to the conversation. She was more lost in her thoughts now that she knew that she and Sara couldn’t have any children of their own. Peebee wanted to cry, but it would mean that she would have to tell her wife why she was so devastated. Keeping this from Ryder was the right thing to do, she kept telling herself.

_What if she wants to try again? What do I tell her? Maybe it’s the right thing to do, but lying to her will slowly eat me from the inside, it’s already hard._

“Need some help?” Vetra asked her.

“Yeah, take one side, and I’ll hold the other one. The mittens are in the first drawer.”

With Vetra’s help, Peebee took the roasted Pyjak out of the oven and carefully set it down in the middle of the table. Everybody cheered at the sight of food, happy to finally start eating. Drack took the biggest portion; he was so starving that he was grumpier than usual.

Liam had brought some beer that Ryder was eye eagerly, but when Kosta offered her one, Sara reluctantly refused. She glanced at Peebee, who was giving her a little corner smile, the asari was glad that Ryder declined the drink.

“C’mon, what’s the matter? You usually always take one with me?” Kosta asked, waving the bottle in front of Ryder’s face.

Lexi kicked his knee from under the table, and the man shrieked in surprise and pain as he eyed the doctor with an angry glare.

Despite this little incident with Kosta, the rest of the dinner went well; everyone was telling stories, sharing memories they had made together back when Sara was the Pathfinder.

After, when the dinner was over, they all moved to the living room, where Vetra had set a small radio that was playing dance music. Cora and Suvi were dancing in the middle of the room; both women were loaded so much that it was a miracle that they were still standing.

“Nice moves girl!” Ryder shouted to Suvi.

“Want to show them your moves babe?” Peebee asked her wife.

Ryder happily joined the pair and began dancing with them. All were cheering for her, and Peebee was laughing so hard when Sara put the others to shame with her expert moves. _Let’s spice things up a notch._

Peebee finished her glass of wine and jumped into the fray. She grabbed Ryder by the waist from behind and began dancing sensually with her. Usually, the asari wouldn’t dance in front of everyone, but the alcohol she had consumed was a bit more strong than anticipated, and when she was drunk, she did things that she wouldn’t usually do.

Kallo and Jaal whistled as the two women touched and rubbed their bodies against each other, Ryder’s hair moved left and right as Peebee drove the both of them around. The asari’s hands slid on Sara’s hips, making Ryder blush a little.

“Are you drunk?” Sara said loud enough for only Peebee to hear.

“That Salarian wine was more potent than I thought,” Peebee giggled and began rubbing her hips against Ryder’s butt. “Why?

“Because you’re dancing in front of everyone, and…Oh!” Ryder gasped when Peebee gently nibbled the nape of her neck.

In her drunken state, Suvi began singing loudly, causing everyone to cover their ears with their hands. All laughed when the young science officer tripped on herself, fell to the floor and landed on her ass.

Peebee rested her head on Ryder’s shoulder, relishing this moment of joy that they were both sharing, silently wishing that her troubles could just fade away and never come back. But then, from over Sara's shoulder, she saw Lexi helping Suvi, and remembered that, no matter how much she wanted to, she could never have a baby with Ryder.

As she was about to cry, Suvi fell on her ass once more, dragging Lexi down with her, and all laughed once again, and so was Peebee. _That was a close one! If it weren’t for Anwar’s clumsiness, I would have had to explain to Ryder why I’m suddenly so sad._

* * *

Later that night, Peebee and Sara were resting on the couch since their friends were sleeping in all the bedrooms. Ryder’s head was lying on the asari’s lap, and Peebee was playing in the young woman’s red hair while watching TV. _Even in Andromeda, there’s never anything interesting on tv._

“You looked troubled earlier, Peebs. What’s wrong?” Sara asked suddenly, breaking the silence between them.

_Shit, not already! What do I say, Lexi’s cat just died? Nah, won’t work, need something better. Think Peebee, think!_

“What makes you say that?” she answered.

“You barely spoke the whole evening, that’s not like you. So, what’s going on in that head of yours?”

“I’m fine, I just didn’t get lots of sleep lately that’s all!” she said unconvincingly. Ryder made a noise with her throat; she obviously didn’t buy that whole _“didn’t sleep enough”_ excuse.

“Sometimes I wish I could read minds, would be easier this way!” Ryder said.

“Ryder! Can we not fight tonight?”

Sara nodded, moved on the couch and buried her head in Peebee’s neck. The both of them watched the boring news that was playing on the Aya official news channel, trying not to fall asleep before the other. Sara yanked the controller from her wife, zapped to a different channel and groaned in frustration when she couldn’t find anything interesting.

“And I thought Earth’s television was bad!” she told Peebee.

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing.”

“What, Asari television sucks too?” Ryder changed the channel again, stubbornly trying to find something good.

“It sucked so bad it made me fall asleep every time I watched it. And I thought Andromeda would have better shows. Last week, I watched an Angaran drama movie for the first time, I almost died of boredom!” Peebee said.

“Hmm, if my memory serves me well, Turians were the best actors in the Milky Way for drama shows. My dad had brought me a couple of times to a Turian theater when I was a kid, best plays I’ve ever seen!”

They were laughing at the faces the muted Angara actors were making, they came up with their own voices and dialogues when Cora approached them. The young woman sat on the couch adjacent to theirs, a sad expression on her face.

“The Nexus just called, they want to see us ASAP,” she said to Ryder and Peebee.

“You have to leave now?” Ryder asked, a little disappointed.

“Ryder, they want to see you as well. I don’t know why but they said they would only speak to the Pathfinder.”

Peebee gave Sara a worried glance, wondering what director Tann wanted with Ryder? Sara was retired, she had already given them more than she should have, what else did they want from her?

“But, I’m not the Pathfinder anymore, Scott is. Plus, I can’t go back!” Sara told Cora.

“I know Ryder, but that’s the thing. Scott, he…disappeared!” Cora fought hard to keep her emotions in check.

Sara didn’t answer right away as she processed what she had just heard. Peebee took her hand in hers, letting Ryder know that she was there for her.

“What do you mean, he disappeared? How can he vanish while being on the Nexus?”

“I don’t know, but I guess that it has something to do with the disputes I was talking about earlier. That’s why Tann wants to speak with you.”

“Can’t you become Pathfinder? I can’t go back on the field,” Sara said.

Cora, as much as she wanted to be the team leader, could not replace Sara as the Pathfinder. Sara was the best the Initiative ever had, and even her twin brother could not match her skills and her wits, and no one else had the kind of connection that she had with SAM.

Sara looked at Peebee, looking for her wife’s approval before taking a decision. Peebee considered her answer for a long time, pondering the pros and cons of returning to the Tempest once again. _If it’s just to find Scott, then it shouldn’t take too long._

“It’s your brother, babe, and he needs your help.” She squeezed Sara’s hand, “I say we go help him. Then, when it’s all over and that Scott is safe, we can come back here.”

Peebee needed the distraction, and a find and rescue mission would help to keep her mind occupied with other stuff than all her problems. But she knew that sooner or later, she will have to face those problems and get over them. She only hoped that she wouldn't have to confront her demons soon.

“Ok, we do this, and then it’s done!” Ryder said firmly. “I don’t want to play Pathfinder all my life, hell I wasn’t even supposed to be one in the first place.”

Cora got up and began walking away, her fingers hovered over her omni-tool, and she opened a public comm channel for the rest of the crew. “Guys get up; we have to leave right now, Ryder needs to go to the Nexus.”


	3. Chapter 3

The Tempest was the same way it had been when Sara had left it. When she took a deep breath, the familiar smell of the vessel brought her back in time. She remembered how excited she had been when entering the Tempest for the very first time. Sara had never wanted to be Pathfinder, but when she had seen the ship, she instantly fell in love with it and with its incredible speed.

She walked in the garage, smiling when she saw the Nomad parked in the middle. Sara frowned when her eyes settled on a little gash near the left front wheel; she was positive that it wasn’t there when she had left.

“What the hell have you done to my car?” Sara asked, pointing at the scratch.

“Your car? You mean Scott’s?” Cora replied.

“Yes, my car!” Sara turned to face her lieutenant. “Since I’m back in command, it’s my car, my ship, and my crew.” She turned back to the Nomad. “So now, could you tell me what the fuck happened to my car?”

Peebee chuckled slightly as she slipped past the Pathfinder and headed for the door. The asari had missed the little ship, and she wanted to know if all the techs she had left in her former room were still there. _I forgot how much Sara loved the Nomad!_

It was funny, to see her wife get worked up because of a scratch on her car; it reminded Peebee of how much Ryder had been angry at her when she had crashed the Nomad on a rock formation. Sara, who was usually calm and reserved, had lost her shit when Peebee had returned the car with the front bumper hanging on for dear life.

 _“Peebee, I swear to God, this was the last time I let you drive!”_ Ryder had said furiously.

Of course, Peebee had blamed the whole incident on a mechanical failure, she wasn’t going to tell Ryder that she had lost control of the vehicle because a butterfly had distracted her. _Was it a butterfly? It sure looked like one._

Peebee heard Cora groaning in frustration behind her, as she disappeared in the other part of the ship. The large, circular holographic table was projecting a close-up view of something Peebee hadn’t seen in years. She quickly stepped closer to the table and examined the Remnant device that was lying on it.

“Awesome, that’s the piece I was missing for my project!” she took the device and tugged it in her bag.

When she arrived at the bridge, Suvi gave her a hug and offered her to take her bags. The asari waved a hand, politely declining the kind offer.

“I’m so glad you and Ryder are back onboard! We’ve missed you guys,” Suvi said.

“It’s good to be back. But, it’s only temporary. We’ll help you guys to find Scott, and then we’re going back home.”

Peebee was happy to be back on the ship, but she knew she shouldn’t get attached to it; they won’t be there for long after all. She was pleased to notice that the place hadn’t changed a bit, and she smiled when her eyes settled on the escape pod room.

All was as she had left them, all the papers she had clipped were still on the board next to her worktable, all the pieces of Remnant tech were still sprayed on the ground, and Poc was still sitting in her corner; where she had been when Peebee quit the Tempest.

The asari entered a command on her omni-tool and watched as Poc came back online, her happy chirps put a smile on Peebee’s lips. _Yep, it’s good to be back!_

 

* * *

 

Later, someone knocked softly on the door, and Peebee awoke with a start. She could not remember when she had fallen asleep, but her sore neck gave her an estimate of how long she had slept.

Her blurry mind took a long moment to register where she was, and she groaned when she realized that she had drooled all over her desk. _Ewww, no wonder I feel so thirsty._

A fist banged again on the door, louder and impatiently than earlier. So, after gathering enough wills to get up, Peebee slowly strode to the door panel and unlocked it by pressing a series of buttons.

“Hey, Ryder.” she weakly waived at her wife, not surprised to find her on the other side of the room.

“You look like shit!” Ryder said, stepping into the room. Her eyes scanned the walls and floor, a small smile crept on her lips as she gazed at the mess the room was in.

“Yeah well I didn’t sleep last night, and I didn’t have any coffee either,” Peebee replied and rubbed her heavy eyes with her hands.

“I made some in the galley.” Sara moved closer to her wife. “So, anything interesting happening in here?” Sara waved at the dismembered Observers’ parts lying on the floor.

Peebee took the piece she had found earlier and waved it in front of Ryder’s eyes. Sara looked puzzled as she stared at the device.

“This, Ryder, is the last part I needed for my new project! I wanted to create a cloaking device for your armor, and with this, I will be finally able to do it now.”

“But, I already have one,” Sara replied.

“Yeah, one that doesn’t last more than a few seconds.” Peebee sat the Remnant tech on her table next to some blueprints and schematics. “With this RemCloack, you will have enough power to remain invisible for half an hour. It will use solar energy to recharge, so you will never run out of power!”

Ryder smiled, even now, Sara was still impressed by how quick, and sharp Peebee’s mind was. The asari always seemed to come up with new ways to impress her.

“How are you holding up Sara?” Peebee asked, yanking the Pathfinder from her thoughts. “I can’t imagine how distraught you must feel right now.”

“Yeah, I’m anxious about Scott!” Sara sat on Peebee’s bench. “And I feel way too sober right now. I just came back from an hour-long lecture from Lexi, and I feel like I could use a drink right now.”

“I think I can help with that.” Peebee reached into one of her bags and pulled out a small, weird looking patch.

“What’s that for?” Sara asked, eyeing the bizarre thing in her wife’s hand.

“It’s a patch for recovering alcoholics, like you babe.” Peebee straddled Ryder, and then took Sara’s arm and rolled up her sleeve. She peeled off the plastic wrapping around the patch and applied it on Ryder’s skin.

Sara kept eyeing the patch, and she began to feel less impatient, less grumpy, as the drug in the patch slowly started to enter her bloodstream.

“Wow, that thing works fast!” Ryder exclaimed.

“Yeah, I asked Lexi to help me built it. I needed her to give me the right drug to put inside the patch.” She unrolled Sara’s sleeve, her left hand settled down on Ryder’s left thigh.

“Thanks, Peebs.” Sara’s face grew closer to her wife’s, her eyes closed as their lips met. She used her right arm to pin Peebee tighter against her chest as she sucked at her lower lip.

“What was that for?” Peebee asked, pausing for air.

“Do I need a reason to kiss my wife?”

Peebee smiled and licked Sara’s upper lip. She was thrilled to see Ryder happy again; it had been a while since they had kissed so passionately.

 

* * *

 

The Nexus was one place that Peebee really hadn’t missed in a year. It was always crowded and loud, with too many people circulating around and hitting her on the shoulders. Peebee hated this place, and she struggled to control the urge to go back and wait in the Tempest. Ryder must have sensed her unease because she smiled at her and gently touched her left hand.

“Everything alright?” Sara asked loud enough for only Peebee to hear.

“Yeah, let’s just get this over with okay?”

An Apex soldier greeted them and escorted Ryder and her to the Pathfinder Headquarters. Peebee never liked meeting with Tann, and she knew that the annoying Salarian felt the same way toward her.

The other Pathfinders were already assembled around the meeting table, all had carried grim looks on their faces. Vederia, the Asari Pathfinder, was looking more muscular and severe than the last time Peebee had seen her.

The young Pathfinder had taken the mantle after Sarissa Theris had been demoted to Lieutenant. Ryder had been the one to dig up that Sarissa had caused her predecessor to die back when the Kett had attacked the Ark.

Vederia gave Peebee and Ryder a smile as the pair joined them at the table. Director Jarun Tann took a seat at the end of the table, a datapad in hands.

“Thanks for joining us Ryder,” Tann said politely.

“Director Tann, I didn’t have much of a choice. Where’s my brother?” Sara looked tensed and impatient.

Tann waved at Hayjer who handed another datapad to Sara. The human took it and read the message written on the screen. Peebee waited patiently next to Sara, looking at her wife’s increasing frown.

Sara pressed on a link at the end of the message, and a video appeared on the screen. A mysterious figure materialized on display; the figure wore a thick, black hood that concealed its identity.

 _“Sara Ryder, I’ve heard a great deal about you! I heard that you were the best person to help me.”_ The man, Peebee thought it was a man, had a profound, vibrant voice.

The recording shifted and a tied up Scott appeared on screen; he had a gag in his mouth and a gun pointed at the side of his head. Sara muffled a gasp at the sight of her battered twin, and her hands tightened their grip around the datapad, making her knuckles go white.

 _“Pass my trials, and your brother goes free.”_ The voice stopped, and the gun barrel pressed harder against Scott’s head. “ _Refuse to play, and things are gonna get ugly, fast! If you need extra motivations, I have taken hostages from every species in Andromeda, including those you brought here with you. Don’t play my games, and they all die! The choice is yours, Pathfinder.”_

The screen went blank, and Ryder felt a powerful hatred boiling inside her. Peebee saw the pain in Ryder’s facial expression; the Pathfinder’s chest raised and fell quickly and her eyes were glowing with fiery anger.

Tann shifted uneasily on his chair, his big eyes were fixed on Sara. Peebee noticed that the other Pathfinders were also looking at Ryder as if her wife had the answers to all their unspoken questions.

“When did you receive this?” Sara asked, struggling to keep a cool head.

“Two days ago,” said Kandross from somewhere behind. The tall Turian joined the rest of them, his personal datapad clutched in his right hand. “There is a hidden link in the message that leads to a timer. We apparently have two more days to figure out where this freak wants Ryder to go.”

“As I said before, Kandros, we won’t negotiate with criminals!” Tann scolded.

“With all due respect Director, we don’t have a choice,” Sara replied. “You heard the message, if we don’t do as asked, he will execute one prisoner at a time. Now, I don’t like this situation as much as you do, but I’m not going to let those innocents die for no reasons.”

Director Tann seemed taken aback, he apparently wasn’t expecting Sara to side with his security chief. The grimace on his face made Peebee chuckle inwardly, she really didn’t miss this guy. The Salarian was about to reply when Hayjer suddenly stood up, cutting the Director before he even began to speak.

“I agree with Ryder!” Hayjer stated. “We can’t stand by and let innocents die.”

Vederia and Avitus Rix both stood up as well, silently showing Ryder their support. From the corner of her eye, Peebee saw Tann rubbing his temples as he let out a long, frustrated sigh. He stood up too, but not to give his support to Sara.

“This display of loyalty to Ryder is admirable, but the final decision remains mine to take. And I refuse to let you four give this psycho what he wants. We would never have agreed to this in the Milky Way, why start now?”

Sara slammed both fists on the table, causing Peebee and Tann to jump in surprise. Ryder glared at the Director, her eyes were knives, and her face had gone a little bit redder than usual. “We’re not in the Milky Way anymore! In case you forgot, we’re in Andromeda now, the rules are different.”

“If we yield to his demands, we will look weak!” Tann replied.

“We can’t let those prisoners die!” Sara got up and walked toward the Salarian director. “I’ll find what he wants, and I will stop him, just like I stopped the Archon and the Omega Kett.”

Tann remained silent for a long time, his eyes gazing at all the Pathfinders in the room. Then, with his eyes closed, he slowly and unwillingly nodded his approval at Ryder. Sara’s fists unclenched, and her shoulders seemed to relax slightly as she walked back to her seat.

“Alright, we trusted you before, we can do it again.” Tann sank back in his chair. “But, we still don’t know where you have to go.

Sara reopened the message on her datapad and reread it. As her eyes swept across multiple numbers positioned at random in the text, a smile crept across her lips. “I think I found out a solution for that. There are numbers in every three lines, or so. They look random and unimportant, but if you look closer; you’ll discover that there is a pattern.”

“What are you thinking Sara?” Peebee asked.

“I think that they’re coordinates! SAM, run these numbers and tell me when you have a location.” Sara waited for her AI to acknowledge her order and then left her seat. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I will go back to my ship.”

Kandros, for some obscure reason, decided to escort Ryder and Peebee out of the Pathfinder Headquarters. He remained silent as they stepped out and passed through the commune area, but Peebee could see he something was bothering him.

“Listen Ryder, Peebee. I know this isn’t an excellent time for you two, with the loss of your baby and all. But I’m glad that you decided to come back. Tann might not agree with you, but I know you’ll get the job done!”

Peebee mentally groaned when she saw the look on Ryder’s face, it was the same look she always had before drowning her sorrow with alcohol. All the happiness her wife had been feeling ever since they rejoined the team, was gone in an instant.

Kandros must have noticed the change in Ryder’s mood as well because he immediately apologized. Peebee knew that the Turian had meant well, but his timing was the worse.

“Thanks, Kandros. I…I have to go!” Sara turned around and headed for the train that led to the hangar bay. Peebee shot an uncomfortable glance at the Turian and raced after her wife.

 

* * *

 

After having debriefed the rest of the team on the current problems they faced, Ryder retired to the galley where a tasty meal awaited her. Sara, who usually had the biggest appetite, was playing with her food with her fork, tossing the rice and meat around the plate. Her eyes were blank as she stared at the food without any real interest.

She knew she should eat, to keep her mind and body sharp and healthy; but she couldn’t. Her mind was too preoccupied, too anxious about her brother’s health. When Sara tried to thrust a piece of meat in her mouth, her stomach felt sick and threatened to throw up.

Ryder threw the fork in frustration, making a loud clanging noise as its metal frame hit the plate. She covered her eyes with both hands, struggling to keep the tears from falling. Sara had never been the religious type, but she surprised herself when she unconsciously prayed the all mighty for Scott’s safety.

No one else was in the kitchen, they had all sensed that she needed to be left alone. But, truth be told, Sara didn’t feel like being alone right now; she needed someone to talk to, a distraction to keep her mind busy on other things rather than her fears and problems.

 _“If you refuse they all die.”_ The words resonated in her mind, she felt sick thinking about the poor innocents held hostage against their will.

The door opened suddenly, snapping her out of her revery and bringing her mind back to the present. Sara glanced at the door and saw Peebee walking into the kitchen.

“Not hungry?” the asari asked as she sat next to Sara.

“No!” Ryder replied with a heavy sigh. She didn’t like Peebee to see her sad and depressed, so she tried to smile and hide her feelings, but failed.

“We’ll get him back Sara, all of them!” Peebee took the second fork and handed it to her wife. “Here, eat. You’ll need your strength.”

Sara smiled as she took the fork and began eating the dinner Drack had made. She saw Peebee taking another utensil, and then her wife dipped it in her plate. While they ate together, Peebee was telling jokes and funny stories to Sara. Ryder was beginning to feel more relaxed as her wife made her laugh.

Sara could tell only by looking at her, that Peebee had missed being in the Tempest and exploring the mysteries of Andromeda. And to be honest, so did Ryder.

An hour later, Sara was cleaning the dishes while Peebee was napping on the couch Liam had recently installed in the galley. She watched her blue lover sleeping, her eyes wondering on the lovely curves of her body. Ryder was desperately in love with this sexy alien, and she felt incredibly guilty for not being the wife she had promised Peebee she would be.

 _I’ll do better Peebs, I promise._ Sara dried her plate with a towel and then put it back on the shelf, but when she turned again, she was now facing her long-dead father. Surprised, she took a step back and bumped her ass on the counter.

“Sara,” the apparition said. Ryder frowned, the last time she had seen it, the ghost hadn’t spoken.

“Who are you? My father’s dead, he’s been for almost three years!” She told the ghost.

“I’m really disappointed in you, Saira!”

Ryder grimaced at the mention of her old nickname, and she grew increasingly anxious as the ghost not only spoke but also seemed to possess her father’s memories. Her right hand blindly searched for a knife behind her; not that she thought it would do anything to the apparition.

“I thought you were up to the task,” Alec looked at her with disgust in his eyes, “apparently I was wrong. Look at you, you can’t even stand without needing a fucking patch on your arm. You look like shit and have failed to protect your brother! You’re pathetic, a shame to the Ryder name!”

Sara’s hand froze, the hallucination or whatever it was, had struck a sensitive nerve. She knew she had failed her brother, but to hear it out loud was like being stabbed in the guts. Sara wanted to cry, to sank to her knees and cry for hours; to disappear into her own little world and never feel any pain ever again.

She closed her eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall; and she was relieved to see Peebee standing before her when she reopened them. Her dad had vanished once again, but the pain in Ryder’s heart remained.

“Babe, you ok?” Peebee asked anxiously.

“Yeah, all’s fine Peebs,” she lied. She didn’t want her wife to worry more about her, so she kept what she had seen and heard to herself. “Sorry I woke you up.”

“Actually Suvi woke me up. SAM has discovered where we need to go, but you’re not gonna like it!”

“Okay?” Sara said, puzzled and more than a little anxious.

“We’re going back to Habitat-7!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I hope you like the story so far? I'm writing this note to let you know that this will be the last update for a little while (the Hiatus will be temporary, I just need to sort things out in my life before continuing this story!)e before continuing this story!) I will still post One-Shots once in a while though. Thanks, and happy reading :)

Habitat 7, Sara never thought she’d be back here. From orbit, the planet looked the same as the last time they were there, although the storms had dimmed a little according to their scanner’s readings. The memories of her father’s death played in her mind, and she recalled the final words he had told her before she lost consciousness.

Sara knew she should be prepping for the mission, but she didn’t feel like suiting up at the same time as her teammates. She could barely hold her emotions in check, and it wouldn’t do to let Liam see her trying to hold back tears.

The bridge was deserted except for Kallo, that Salarian never left his damn chair. It was calm, and the glow of the stars reflecting on the control panels and walls was somewhat relaxing. Ryder had always liked spending time here; she loved hearing the constant humming of the computers, and the beautiful display of stars and planets outside the viewport.

But today, each time she glanced out the window, her heart sank into her chest, and she felt sick to her core. She loathed this place with all her being, a raging fury of pure hatred crawled inside her, threatening to consume her if not kept in check.

Kallo glanced at her from above his shoulder; he seemed surprised to see that she was still there and not in the garage with the rest of the team.

“Something wrong, Pathfinder?” he asked softly, as if unsure he would irritate her with his question.

“No, not really.” Sara tore her eyes away from the viewport and looked at her pilot. “I’m just not thrilled about being back here. I thought my dad’s death had stopped affecting me, but, looking at Habitat 7 makes me realize how much I was wrong!”

“I never knew your father, but I’ve heard that he was a great man.”

“He was a dick, but he was my dad, and I loved him.” Sara turned around, hiding the tears that slid down her face from the Salarian. “I should go. We’ll talk later.”

Without saying another word, Ryder left the bridge and started to make her way to the Tempest’s sub-levels. She stopped by the bathroom, trying to recompose herself. She looked at her reflection in the mirror above the sink, her makeup was a mess, and her hair had seen better days. _Damn it, damn fucking it!_

When turning the water on, Ryder noticed that her hands were shaking uncontrollably. She cussed and splashed her face with water, trying to cool her thoughts. It didn’t work, it didn’t work, and it pissed her off.

“Why are we back here?” Sara said to no one, her voice breaking up. What could the figure in the video possibly want from this place? Was she supposed to find something new here, or was this just a new way to make her suffer; a reminder of what she had lost?

Ryder searched in her pockets for that patch Peebee and Lexi had made for her. She applied it to her chest, this way no one else would know that she was wearing it. It wasn’t something she was proud to wear, but it helped her deal with her addiction.

“Told you-you looked pathetic with that thing on. Why are you still wearing it?” The apparition of her father materialized next to her, a stern look in his eyes.

“Go away; I don’t have time for this!” Sara hissed.

“Now why would I do that? I’m here to set you on the right track, Sara.”

Sara scoffed drily and spun to face the hallucination. It was still wearing Alec’s N7 armor, but something was off, it had the same color as her current armor and not the traditional black that her father had worn for so many years.

“Set me on the right path? I don’t need help from a hallucination, so just go away and leave me alone!”

“Ryder, who are you talking to?” Peebee asked as she stepped into the room. The concerned look on her face told Sara that the asari had heard more than she should have.

“No one, Peebs.” Sara bent and splashed some cold water on her face. “I’m just a bit stressed out, that’s all.”

“I can imagine. This place isn’t a walk in the park!” Peebee stepped closer to the sink; her left thigh touched Sara’s right one. “But there’s more; I know there is. Talk to me, babe.”

“Ok, but promise me you will keep this to yourself!” Sara said.

“I promise.”

“I’ve been having…Hallucinations of my father.” Sara felt an enormous weight being lifted from her shoulders; it felt so liberating to finally admit it to her wife.

Peebee took a while to answer, but she didn’t look as surprised as Sara thought she would be, and it made her curious.

“You knew already, didn’t you?” she asked her wife.

“I suspected you were experiencing hallucinations, but I didn’t know they were about your father.”

The shaking of her hands had stopped, but she couldn’t shake that weird feeling she had in her chest. She couldn’t describe it, but it felt like something big was about to happen, and it made her nervous.

“Now what? We can’t tell Lexi, not until it’s all over or she’ll bench me!” Sara said.

“It may just be a malfunction in your implant; we’ll run some tests after we come back from Habitat 7.”

Sara nodded, she hoped that the hallucinations were only because of her implant, and not because her mind that was going crazy on her. Because if it was the case, Sara would have no choices but to resign from being Pathfinder for good, and her chances of finding Scott and all the others would vanish.

She closed the water, combed her hair in a ponytail and gazed at her reflection one final time. Her face was still a mess, but at least she looked a bit calmer and more composed than earlier.

* * *

 

“The storm is way weaker than it was the first time we were here!” Liam said in the comms. He looked on edge as he trailed a few meters behind Ryder.

Sara felt her heart pound in her chest as she climbed a small formation of rocks; souvenirs of her father’s death and her near death experience flashed in her mind, and Sara had to fight to keep her composure.

“Yeah, it’s not as strong. But I wouldn’t recommend we stay out in the open for too long.” Her voice was strong and confident; she didn’t want to let her team know how scared she was at the moment.

Sara still had no idea why they were forced to come back to this forsaken place, but at least she knew where she had to go. Upon landing on Habitat 7, the Tempest’s sensors had picked up an unknown signal coming from a still unsearched Remnant site near the planet’s northern hemisphere, and Peebee had strongly advised that they should search the site.

The team had yet to encounter any resistance, Kett or Remnant, which worried Ryder. She knew the Kett were weaker now that two of their leaders were dead, but it felt odd that no Remnant had been seen yet.

Sara felt fatigue in her arms as she pulled herself up, she and the team had been climbing for half an hour now, and Ryder could tell that it was beginning to take a toll on all of them. She could hear their breathing in her earpiece, but no one dared to speak anymore as they focused on climbing.

“There, I see the top. We…We’re almost there!” Sara said breathlessly. Her arms and hands were numb, all the joints and muscles in her body were on fire, protesting against the extreme effort Ryder was putting them through.

“Finally!” Peebee said when they reached the top. She let her body fall to the rocky ground, her fingers happily grasping at chunks of grass, feeling more than happy to be back on a solid surface.

Ryder also fell to the ground, her legs too weak to support the heavy weight of her armor and guns. Sweat stung her eyes, and her hands were shaking from exhaustion. Sara’s whole body was begging for a break, and so did the rest of the expedition crew.

“Alright, we take ten, and then we keep going!” Ryder ordered.

“Ten sounds perfect to me!” Liam said as he slumped on a rock, his legs and arms spread wide apart from one another. “We should have used the jump jets instead of manually climbing!”

“As I’ve said before, we were too high to use them, the wind would have carried you away, and you would have died from the fall!” Sara said.

Peebee crawled to Sara’s sides and took off her rebreather. She inhaled a long gasp of fresh air through the nose while she helped taking off Ryder’s helmet. Cold air touched Sara’s face, she closed her eyes and let out a silent appreciative moan. Well, she thought it was a silent one until she saw the amused look Peebee was throwing her way.

The asari passed a hand on her wife’s forehead and replaced a loose strand of hair behind her left ear. Sara found the little gesture incredibly soothing, and for a brief moment, the world around her seemed to vanish until there were only her and her wife in it.

“Remember to drink a lot of water out there!” Lexi said through the comms, yanking Sara out of her revery.

“Thanks, Lexi!” Peebee answered nonchalantly. “Sweety, can you pass me the bottle please?”

Sara unclasped one bottle from her belt and gave it to Peebee, who drank half of the bottle before handing it back to her.

Thunder resonated from afar, the air felt colder and smelled like it was about to rain. Ryder replaced the helmet back on her head and waved for the team to get up. “Okay everyone, the break is over! We still have about three hundred meters to do before we arrive at the site, so let's get going.”

The group resumed its walk, Liam and Cora were on point, while Ryder and Peebee covered the rear. The distant storm grew closer by the second, forcing the small expedition group to move faster.

“How are you feeling?” Peebee asked her wife through the private channel they shared together.

“I’m a bit anxious about the storm,” she answered. “It's getting closer pretty quickly!"

“You know what I meant, Ryder!”

“No Peebs, I haven’t seen any hallucinations since we left the ship! Don’t worry; you’ll be the first to know if it happens again.”

That seemed to reassure Peebee, she looked less anxious and walked in silence for the rest of the trip. When they finally reached their destination, the Remnant site appeared to be deserted, and all Ryder could see were a series of terminals facing one another. The walls around the facility were covered in glyphs, and the blue glow that came from the small lights on the walls dimly illuminated the room.

Peebee’s eyes were wide, her mouth hanging as she contemplated the beauties and mysteries of the Remnant room. This place was unlike any other Remnant sites Sara had explored; it looked older than the others; there were cracks and gashes on the walls and floor, and she wondered what could have possibly caused all this damage.

“SAM, can you determine the origins of those gashes on the walls?” Sara asked while she activated her scanner. “Knowing what happened here might help us understand why we were sent to this place.”

Sara scanned the walls, giving SAM as many data to work with as she could. Even damaged, Ryder still found the site to be beautiful and full of wonders.

“ _Pathfinder, this place appears to be one of the very first Remnant sites to be established in Heleus. From what I can gather, this facility has multiple levels that go down for hundreds of meters below the surface. Without knowing what we are looking for, we can not know for sure how many levels we need to descend before reaching our destination **.**_ ”

“Well, at least we know we have to be here. That’s a start right?” said Liam.

“Did the scanner show what is directly below us?” Sara asked her AI.

“ _The level below us contains multiple observers and other Remnant units; it seems to be heavily guarded.”_

“Then that’s where we need to go!” Ryder said. The others looked confusedly at her, but none said anything. Peebee was still wandering about; her eyes fixed on a weird looking terminal hidden in a wall.

She delved her hand in the small opening, clasped her fingers tightly around the terminal, and yanked it out of the wall with all the strength she had. The screen, which had been in standby mode, opened as soon as the asari’s blue fingers passed over it.

“Ryder, I found something!” she yelled from above her shoulder. A recording of the mysterious man began to play as Ryder, and the others arrived at her sides.

 _“Hello, Ryder! I see you found the terminal I have buried in the wall. You must be wondering why you’ve come back to this place; I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you to revisit the planet where your father has met his end!”_ Sara fought back the tears that threatened to flood her eyes, she clenched her fists and watched the rest of the message. “ _Why I asked you to go back to Habitat 7, is because there is a technology I need. The problem is, I can’t access the Remnant terminals, this is where you come in. Go down to the level right below you, and secure what I want, I will provide you with a location within twenty-four hours. Keep doing what I ask, and everything will be fine for your brother and friends!”_

* * *

 

One level below, Ryder and her team were walking furtively from cover to cover, trying to avoid the Observers as much as they could. Peebee kneeled behind a crate on Sara’s left; the asari held her M-6 Carnifex tightly in her hands as a group of Observers hovered past her hiding spot.

Sara counted at least a dozen Remnants around her and her team; she also spotted six more in the center of the room. Next to them was a pedestal with a weird looking artifact resting on top of it.

According to Ryder’s scanner, the artifact was a perfectly rounded ball that had writings of unknown origins on top of it. Nor the scanner or SAM could translate what those writings meant, and it made Sara hesitate.

“Ok guys, I have no idea what this artifact does, but we have to secure it. I count at least a dozen Observers on our left and right, plus six more on our twelve o’clock! We need to dispatch them quickly if we want to make it out of here alive.”

“Ryder now would be a good time to try that tech I made you,” Peebee suggested. “Press the small green button I put on your left arm under your wrist; it will activate the cloaking device I integrated into your suit.”

“Ok, but you’re sure I will have enough power to do what I have to?” Ryder asked.

“Well, if not, we’ll be ready to provide you covering fire!” Cora said.

Ryder nodded and then activated the cloaking device. Her hands and arms slowly disappeared, when she looked down, she already couldn’t see her feet as they were now hidden from view. Sara was surprised by how quickly the device worked, within seconds upon activating the new tech; she was now fully cloaked from head to toe.

She slowly made her way to the pedestal, careful not to make any noise as she climbed the few steps leading to the device. Ryder was about to clasp her fingers around the sphere when her head and ears started to buzz crazily. She fought the need to scream as she clutched her helmet with both hands, her heart was pounding in her chest, the world around her shifted, throwing her off balance. _What the hell is happening?_

 ** _Hello human!_** Sara dropped to her knees; she felt like she was about to vomit as the voice inside her head kept talking. **_I have been waiting a long time for this moment. Sorry about the pain you are experiencing right now, but it is the only way I can communicate with you._** _Who are you? **Not relevant for now. I’ve been watching you for a while now, and I have to say that I’m intrigued by you. You, humans, are a fascinating species! You do whatever you have to to survive, you can be extremely violent when necessary, while also showing signs of compassion.** So what? Why am I hearing you just now? Couldn’t you have waited until I wasn’t in a dangerous situation to talk to me? **I assure you human that you are in no immediate danger. Look around you, and you’ll understand what I mean.**_

Sara painfully rose her head and gasped in horror when she saw nothing around her. There was no floor anymore, no walls or roof, no glowing sphere or Observers. She was alone, trapped in an endless dark void with a voice inside her head. She felt around for the familiar touch of her wife, but all she managed to do was stumbling on her sides, her head aching even more than before.

Where am I? What have you done to me? **Relax, I’m not your enemy! I can tell you for a fact that you are now in your bed on your ship you call, Tempest. Your teammates have taken the thing you refer as an artifact, back with them on your vessel.** What? How is that possible, I was down on Habitat 7 only a few seconds ago? There is no way I’m back on the Tempest! **You will see when you will wake up.** Where am I? **I told you, you’re back onboard…** No, I meant, where is here? Well, this is easy! We're in your mind, Pathfinder Ryder. More specifically, a part you didn’t know you could use. **** _ **When you were within reach of the Remnant sphere, the radiations that came out of the sphere stimulated a dormant section in the right hemisphere of your brain. This is why I can talk to you right now.** What do you want then? Spit it out; I don’t have all day! **Yes, I forgot how impatient your species is.**_

**_My name is Korok, and I just saved your life from a very unpleasant and painful death!_ ** _I don’t understand? **The artifact you were about to touch is very lethal to humans with a C- blood type. It would have boiled your blood, and you would have been killed within seconds.** How did you know about my blood type? **I’m a telepath and an empath, I know everything about you, Sara Ryder! I know that right now, you are worried about your wife Peebee, I also know how much you love her.** This is weird! **I understand that your weak human brain struggles to understand, but this is irrelevant right now. I didn’t invade your mind to talk about my abilities, I have come to warn you about Andromeda’s imminent destruction.**_

_Wait, destruction? How? Answer me damn it! **We don’t have much time left, but the person you’ve seen in the recordings, he will be the doom of this galaxy if he isn’t stopped. You must stop him!**_

The headache and nausea slowly faded, and Ryder began to feel something warm wrapped around her left arm. Her eyes opened, and she saw a familiar face staring back at her, worried eyes suddenly brightening up. Peebee brought her mouth to Ryder’s lips and kissed her hard for a long moment.

“Ryder! Fuck, I’m so happy you’re awake!”


	5. Chapter 5

Sara’s room was overwhelmingly silent, there was no music playing in the background, and even the hamster was quiet. Peebee’s eyes were fixed on Ryder; her mind kept thinking about how fragile humans were as she watched her unconscious wife. Lexi hadn’t found anything wrong with the Pathfinder; she said that she was in good health and that her mysterious loss of consciousness shouldn’t have happened.

So, there she was, gazing at her sleeping wife, worried that Ryder would never wake up. She had tried melding her mind with Sara’s, but something was somehow blocking her from doing so, and it troubled her.

Sara occasionally shook on the bed, but her eyes remained closed and her breathing erratic. A few inaudible sounds came out of her mouth once in a while, she seemed in pain, and it made Peebee’s heart ache to see her so vulnerable and helpless.

“SAM,” Peebee said as she opened her datapad. “Run a diagnostic on Sara’s implant. I want to know if it is defective or malfunctioning.”

“ _Sure_!” answered the AI.

Specs of the implant appeared on her datapad’s screen, and Peebee studied them carefully. Human implants weren’t the same as Asari’s, they were more complicated and based on a whole different technology.

“ _I did not detect any malfunction with Ryder’s implant,”_ SAM said.

Peebee read the results of the diagnostics SAM ran; she couldn’t find anything wrong with the device either, whatever caused Sara to hallucinate, it wasn’t caused by the implant. _What’s going on with her? I need to find out!_

“SAM, why is Sara hallucinating?” she asked.

“ _It might be the cause of a mental breakdown,”_ SAM suggested. “ _She has been through three near-death experiences in only a year, after all.”_

“I think you’re right, but is there a way to help her?” Peebee asked.

“ _Doctor T’Perro might have a special medication that could…”_

“No! We can’t tell Lexi, at least not yet.” She leaned forward and gently stroke Ryder’s face. “I will make this right.”

Peebee felt responsible for what her wife was going through. What if they had never tried to have a kid, would Sara be in a better place right now?

Thinking of the lost baby made Peebee want to cry, but she didn’t allow tears to fall, she had to be strong. Keeping secrets from Sara wasn’t easy, but she couldn’t let Ryder know that she could never have a kid of her own. _Damn Kett, they fucked up everything!_

Peebee jumped when someone knocked on the door. She remotely opened the heavy doors with her omni-tool and sighed when seeing Lexi walk into the room. _I hope SAM will keep his digital mouth shut!_

“How is she?” Lexi asked as she approached the bed.

“Still sleeping, I’m getting a bit worried!” Peebee answered, her eyes still fixed on Sara’s sleeping form.

Yes, Lexi had told her that Ryder would be alright, but she still felt like something terrible was about to happen to her wife. She glanced quickly at Lexi; the doctor was looking as calm as usual as she touched Ryder with a weird device.

Suddenly, Sara began to shake violently, her legs nearly hitting Peebee on the back. Lexi cussed as she dropped her datapad on the ground.

“Hold her legs!” she ordered Peebee.

“What’s going on?” Peebee asked anxiously.

“She’s having a seizure; I don’t know why!” T’Perro brought two fingers to Ryder’s neck, looking for her vitals. “Damn it; she’s going into cardiac arrest! Hold her legs tightly while I pump her chest.”

Peebee watched intently as Lexi tried to restart Sara’s heart. _Fuck, fuck, fuck, I knew something was wrong! C’mon Ryder, wake up!_

Lexi had pumped and blew air into Sara’s mouth for two minutes when suddenly, Ryder ceased shaking and started breathing once more. Peebee slumped back on the mattress, fighting hard to control her emotions.

“I thought you said everything was fine with Sara?” Peebee said in a harsh voice.

“And it was, I couldn’t have known that her heart would suddenly stop working, Peebee!” Lexi answered.

“Sorry, I know you’re doing your best for her.”

“Hey,” Lexi brought a hand on her friend’s shoulder, “I won’t let anything happen to Ryder, you have my word!”

Peebee nodded without looking back at the doctor; she was unable to tear her gaze away from her wife; as if looking at her for a long time would protect her from her own heart.

Lexi ran a few more tests before leaving Peebee alone with the Pathfinder. Peebee was feeling tired and drained of all her energy, she felt her eyes closing without her consent, but before sleep could overtake her, she felt a movement next to her on the bed.

“Ryder,” her fatigue was replaced by sheer excitement when she saw that Ryder was awake, her green eyes staring back at her. “Fuck, I’m so happy you’re awake!”

She lunged at her wife, hugging her and kissing her, pinning her to the mattress. Confused, Sara kissed her back, her hands clasped around her Peebee’s back, holding her close to her as her tongue delved into her wife’s mouth.

“What happened?” Sara asked when Peebee ended the kiss.

“We were inside the monolith, and you just fainted. We carried you back to the ship, and Lexi examined you, she said you were okay but then your heart stopped beating, and you scared the shit out of me!”

“Calm down Peebs, I’m okay, see!” Sara said, kissing her gently on the tip of her nose.

“Yeah, for now! But we don’t know if it will happen again, Sara.” Peebee let herself be pulled toward her wife until their foreheads met. She stared into Sara’s beautiful eyes; she loved how bright they looked, it made her seem so young and innocent.

Peebee gently stroke Sara’s face with the back of her hand, her fingers slowly moved along the soft skin of her wife’s neck while she brought her lips on Ryder’s. They stood like that for a long moment, their lips touching together while their hands stroke each other’s bodies.

“I’ll be fine Peebee,” Sara said in a silky voice.

_Will you be fine if you find out what I’m keeping from you? Will you ever forgive me for keeping that big of a secret from you?_

“What’s wrong?” Ryder asked, feeling the sudden shift in her wife’s mood.

_What’s wrong is that you were almost killed, again! What’s wrong is that we can’t have a fucking kid because of those damn Kett!_

“Nothing babe, everything’s cool,” Peebee lied.

“Peebee,” Sara said, giving the asari the same look she always gave her when she was annoyed.

“I swear, there’s nothing wrong babe!”

Ryder closed her eyes and sighed as she untangled herself from the asari, her head lowering down on her pillows.

Peebee lowered her eyes to the ground, she hated lying to her wife, but she couldn’t tell her what was bothering her so much, at least not yet.

“I stole a few snacks from Liam’s stash,” she said, trying to lighten up the mood. Sara groaned something without looking at her. “C’mon Ryder, you should be the last person to be angry at me right now!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sara asked as she sat upright so quickly that it made Peebee jump in surprise.

The softness that was in Sara’s eyes only moments ago was replaced by an angry look that Peebee had seen many times since the loss of their baby. She hated fighting with Ryder, and recently, it seemed like it was the only thing they were doing.

“I’m not the one who got drunk almost every day!” Peebee answered in a harsh voice.

“Excuse me for not dealing with my shit the same way you do!” Sara replied in the same tone. She got up and began pacing around the room, something she did when she was pissed or stressed.

Peebee sighed and shook her head as she left the bed. She walked to the couch at the left end of the room and slumped on it, feeling drained of all her energy. What was happening between them? Half an hour ago, she was still watching Ryder sleep, and now they were yelling at each other.

“I’m sorry Ryder, I know we’re not reacting to tragedies the same way you and I,” she said when Sara’s pacing slowed down. “What is happening to us? We used to be so happy, but now we fight all the time, and it’s exhausting!”

Ryder calmed down as she headed for the empty seat next to her wife on the couch. She played with her wedding ring, turning it to the left, her eyes distant and unfocused.

“I don’t want to fight anymore,” she said, locking eyes with Peebee. “But, I just want to know what’s going on with you lately. You look like you’re hiding something and don’t want to tell me!”

“Ryder, I…I just want what’s best for you, and believe me, if I tell you what I know, it won’t be good for you!” Peebee said without flinching a muscle.

Sara was about to ask for clarifications when Suvi’s voice boomed in the ship’s overall comms, asking for Ryder and Peebee to come to the lab. _Saved, for now!_ Peebee let out a silent sigh of relief; she wouldn’t have to explain herself to Ryder, at least not yet. She knew that Ryder would come back to this conversation later, and she also knew that she would find a clever way to extract the answers she wants from Peebee.

 

The bio-lab wasn’t Peebee’s preferred area onboard the Tempest. She hated the weird smell that occasionally came out of that room, and the mean looking plants didn’t make her feel very comfortable.

Cora and Suvi turned around to face Ryder and her as they approached them. With the broad smile on her face, Suvi looked like she had just made the discovery of the century. She barely contained her excitement as Ryder walked toward her, her fingers fidgeting with the edges of her datapad.

“Ah, you’re here, finally!” Suvi said, handing the datapad to Sara. “That thing you guys recovered from the planet, it is a mental transmitter, it is dangerous for humans but harmless to other species!’”

“That would explain why I lost consciousness back there,” Sara said, scratching her head perplexedly.

“Sar, you okay?” Peebee asked.

“Yeah, I’m just trying to remember something I heard in the dream I had when I was sleeping! Something is escaping me, and it feels important.”

Peebee was about to propose to mind meld with her, but then she remembered that something had been blocking her from accessing Sara’s mind earlier, and she doubted she would be able to do it now.

“Why would a psychopath need a mental transmitter?” Cora asked.

“Not for anything good that for sure,” Suvi said. “With this, one can control the mind of a weaker person, and I guess that’s why he wants such a device for.”

Cora instinctively took a couple of steps back, getting some distance between her and the Remnant transmitter. It was only after looking at the device for the first time since she was back onboard the ship that Ryder realized the purple-blue glow surrounding the transmitter.

“What happened after I blacked out?” Sara asked.

“Well,” Cora said from Sara’s left. “We fought the Observers, then Peebee and Liam carried you back to the ship while I secured the device with a biotic stasis.”

Sara nodded at her Lieutenant and started walking closer to the Remnant device. Suvi had placed it in some sort of a box that used element zero to generate mass effect fields, the fields kept the device from affecting the human crew of the Tempest, and Ryder was glad to notice that the headache she had experienced back on the planet was now entirely gone.

“We can’t just hand over such a powerful device to a freak!” Cora said.

“We don’t have a choice,” Sara answered without looking back at Cora. “If we don’t, one of the hostages is going to die. I don’t like it, but I can’t gamble with the lives of innocent people!”

Cora didn’t reply, though the face she made told Peebee that she wasn’t entirely onboard with the idea of giving up the transmitter. She couldn’t blame the human; they didn’t know why their enemy wanted it, and they certainly didn’t understand how such a device worked. Yes, they knew it could take control of other people’s minds, but what if it could do much more?

Ryder sighed and tore her gaze away from the transmitter, she looked exhausted and sad, and it made Peebee’s heart ache to see her like that. The Pathfinder walked back toward them and gave back the datapad to Suvi.

“Get the transmitter ready for delivery, we should receive the coordinates of where we need to drop it off in a few hours,” Sara said before exiting the laboratory.

“You should get some sleep babe, you look like you’re about to crumble,” Peebee said as they walked in the empty halls of the ship.

“Yeah, I think I will,” Sara yawned. She hadn’t had a decent night of sleep in a very long time, and she suddenly felt the need to go back to her room and fall belly flat on her big bed. She took Peebee’s hand in hers, “You should sleep with me, you barely closed your eyes since we came back to the Tempest.”

 _I should close my eyes for a bit as well, I feel like a zombie right now, I’m so exhausted!_ Peebee stepped in front of her wife and gave her a quick kiss on the mouth.

“Of course I’ll sleep with you! You keep me warm during the nights, and I love it!” she said, laughing with Ryder as they made their way down to the sublevels.

* * *

 

 

Peebee’s eyes were wide open, she couldn’t sleep, for some reason her brain had decided to go down memory lanes, preventing her from dozing off into dreamland. She looked around her, everything in the Pathfinder’s quarters was dark and silent. Metalic curtains covered the huge windows behind the bed, allowing only the slightest of glow to penetrate inside the room.

Sara’s soft breathing was the only noize Peebee could hear. It had only taken thirty minutes for her wife to fall asleep, and Peebee wished she could just shut her brain down for a few hours so she could join Ryder into the realm of dreams.

She turned slowly around until she could see Sara’s face. Peebee smiled to herself as she watched her wife’s cheeks and lips, she passed a hand over her forehead, gently replacing her hair behind her right ear.

Peebee unconsciously placed a leg on Ryder’s left one, slowly rubbing it on the warm white skin of her thigh. She wanted to wake her up, to kiss her and to touch her in other places, but she didn’t. Sara was beyond exhausted, and she needed to rest.

The asari sighed and buried her head in her pillow in frustration. _Why can’t I doze off? Maybe I should go back to my workshop?_ Before she started her romantic relationship with Sara, Peebee would always tinker with her Remnant bot Poc whenever she couldn’t sleep, it helped her relax, and she always seemed to come up with the best ideas at night.

“Can’t sleep?” Ryder murmured next to her. Her voice had surprised Peebee; she thought Sara was sleeping.

“No, sorry if I woke you up,” she replied.

“Ah don’t worry about it, I needed to pee anyways!”

Ryder slowly got up and staggered to her private restroom at the far right end of the room. With the whole bed to herself, Peebee took the opportunity to stretch her legs and arms before Ryder came back. She heard the running water of the sink as Sara washed her hands before returning back to the bed.

“What’s up?” she asked Peebee.

“I don’t know what’s up; maybe I’m just too stressed out to sleep!” Peebee said in a frustrated voice.

“Listen, babe; I’ve been doing some thinking,” Sara began. Peebee’s heart started beating a little faster now, scared that Ryder would tell her something she didn’t want to hear.

“About what?” she asked, trying to keep her worries from showing up in her tone.

“If you think that keeping your secret is what’s best for me then maybe it’s a good thing!” Ryder replied. “But I want you to promise me something, promise me that you will tell me one day.”

“I promise Ryder, when the time is right, I will tell you,” Peebee replied, happy that this subject was now closed.

Sara smiled and pulled the asari toward her and kissed her lovingly on the lips. Peebee answered by flicking her tongue over Ryder’s upper lip while she caressed her wife’s hair.

“Now roll on your another side so I can give you a massage,” Sara said. “Maybe it will make you fall asleep, I’ve been told that I’m very good at it.”

“I know, I’m the one who told you that, silly!”

Ryder chuckled and began to massage between Peebee’s shoulder blades. “Hey don’t be a smartass with me, Peanut Butter!”

“But I am a smartass, Sara!” Peebee replied in a low voice. She closed her eyes and moaned quietly while Ryder applied more pressure between her shoulders.

Peebee was about to fall asleep when she felt a warm hand sneaking under her shirt. Her eyes remained closed, but a smile crept across her face as Ryder’s fingers gently stroke her tummy. Her left hand moved to another tensed spot on her back, while her lips gently landed on Peebee’s neck.

“That feels good babe, but you’re making me feel aroused rather than relaxed right now!” Peebee said.

Sara did not answer with words; her right hand crept higher until it was at the edge of her breasts and her mouth kept moving slowly across her wife’s neck.

Without thinking about it, Peebee slid her left hand into her pants and began stroking her crotch. Sara let go of Peebee’s neck and looked down with a smile.

“Someone is impatient!” she said.

Sara took the asari by the waist and spun her around until they were face to face. Peebee opened her eyes and smiled at her wife, who smiled back at her.

“You look cute in these PJs!” Sara said as she began playing with the asari’s breast with her right hand. “They bring out the color in your eyes.”

Peebee licked her lips and moaned softly when Sara’s lips sucked on her neck. Ryder positioned one leg between her wife’s and rubbed it slowly against the fabric of her pants. Her left hand circled the back of Peebee’s head and fondled with her tentacles.

Ryder let go of the asari’s neck to kiss her wife on the lips, pulling her closer to her with her left hand. Peebee’s moans were muffled against Sara’s lips as her wife slid her tongue into her mouth.

Sara rubbed her leg faster against Peebee’s crotch, causing the asari breath quickly and moan loudly into her mouth. She rolled until she was positioned above her wife, took her shirt off and grabbed Peebee’s breasts firmly with both hands. Her thumbs stroke Peebee’s nipples, making them hard and round.

Ryder took off her shirt and lowered herself tightly on Peebee, enjoying the warmth of her wife’s naked chest on hers. She kept stroking Peebee’s crotch with her knee while the asari delved another finger into her drenched clit.

“Let me help you a little,” Sara said.

Sara moved down Peebee’s body until she reached her thighs. She then stripped the asari of her pants and was surprised to notice that she wasn’t wearing any underwear. “Looks like this is my lucky night!” she said with a grin.

Ryder removed Peebee’s fingers and then delved her tongue into her wet clit, thrusting as fast and far as she could. Seconds later, Peebee grabbed Ryder’s head with one hand and clasped her fingers in her hair, gently tugging at them.

Sara made eye contact with her, which aroused the asari even more. She moaned loudly when the human thrust a finger inside her, matching its thrusts with the ones of her tongue. She rolled her head back on the pillows and pulled Ryder’s head tightly against her sex.

Peebee’s skin was hypersensitive, and shivers ran through her entire body while Ryder gave her clitoris her full attention. Her head was slightly spinning, and her breathing was quick and uneven. The way Ryder was looking up at her made Peebee blush, and Sara smiled a bit.

“Oh gosh Ryder, you’re good!” Peebee said between gulps of air.

Sara didn’t answer as she reached the asari’s G-spot. Peebee moaned and screamed her name loudly, her legs locking up as she hit her climax. She came on Ryder’s fingers and lips. Peebee clasped both hands around the sheets and closed her eyes, Sara sure knew how to make her come in no time.

Sara crawled back next to her on the bed, sweat covered her forehead, and she was also breathing hard.

“Wow, that was…Amazing!” Peebee said after reopening her eyes. “What was all of that for?”

“It was my apology for earlier,” Ryder answered with a shy smile. She felt terrible for yelling at her earlier, Peebee could see it in her eyes, and she also felt bad about it.

“By far the best apology I have ever received!” Peebee said with a smile.

Ryder laughed as she rolled onto her back. “I knew you’d like it, Peebs.” She rolled back on her left side, her blue eyes making contact with Peebee’s. “I love you; you know that right?”

“Of course I know that!”

“I’m so sorry,” Sara said in a small voice, fighting back the tears. “I’ve been a hard ass lately, and I want to make it up to you!”

“Babe, it’s okay, don’t cry!” Peebee took Sara in her arms, hugging her tightly against her chest. “Hey, let’s dry those tears and go to sleep, yeah?”

Sara nodded but didn’t immediately let go of her wife. Being held so tightly by her lover made her feel something she had not felt in a very long time. Peebee seemed to understand her need and gave Sara a few more seconds before letting go of her.

She lovingly passed her fingers along Sara’s cheeks to wipe the tears that had slid all the way down to her chin. Ryder appreciated the gesture and gave Peebee a genuine smile, her wet blue eyes gleaming back at her.

“I'll wash quickly, and I’m coming back to bed with you,” Sara said sliding off the bed.

Two minutes later, Sara crawled back on the mattress, her red hair smelling fresh and pleasant. Peebee was always impressed by the human’s ability to make her hair look stunning; it was something her wife took very seriously.

“I like it when you let your hair loose like that,” Peebee complimented.

“Thanks, Peebs. I just noticed that I should probably cut my bangs a little shorter next time because they grew faster than I thought they would.”

“I think you’re very good looking like that.”

Sara leaned forward and kissed her wife one more time. “Maybe, but I still want them shorter.” She closed the lamp on her nightstand and then positioned herself on her side. Ryder passed a hand around Peebee’s tummy while the other one caressed the asari’s neck. Sara knew that her wife loved to cuddle before sleep, and to be honest, so did she.

“Good night Sara,” Peebee whispered softly.

“Good night Peebee,” Sara answered.

Minutes later, after making sure that Peebee was sound asleep, Sara closed her eyes and hoped that tonight, she would have a pleasant dream.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Two days later/Tempest heading for outpost Zerka in orbit above a Gas Giant_ **

****

The Gas Giant filled up most of the viewport, bathing the inside of the ship in its orange glow. Ryder had always been amazed by the mysteries of these planets; they fascinated her. Peebee shifted uncomfortably her weigh to her left foot, and, for the briefest of moments, Ryder could see a glimpse of fear in her eyes.

“What’s up with you?” she asked her.

“I just hate Gas Giants: they give me the creeps!” Peebee answered, forcing her eyes away from the viewport.

“Well, we won’t be here for long,” Sara said, looking at the spaceport in front of the ship.

The outpost was a haven for crooks and criminals that was run by the Zerka clan, a group of exiles under the Charlatan’s control. If the stories Ryder had heard about this place were true, the captain of this space station was supposed to be a ruthless, and sadistic man who wasn’t scared of getting his hands dirty.

“I hope not,” Kallo said. “This place is crawling with thieves, killers, pirates, and smugglers. I’m just glad I’m not the one who was to leave the Tempest!”

“We could always bring you along,” Peebee joked.

Kallo froze for a moment, his big eyes moving quickly from Peebee to Sara, and back to the asari again. He relaxed when he saw the smile creeping from the corners of Peebee’s mouth. “For a moment, I thought you were serious!”

“Oh, but I am serious,” Peebee said, taking great pleasure in torturing him.

“You…You can’t!” Kallo protested, waving his hands madly in the air.

Sara fought to suppress a laugh and shook her head as she placed herself between Peebee and the salarian pilot. “Alright, are you done torturing him?”

“For now,” Peebee answered.

“Good, cause we need to get ready,” Sara said. She turned to Kallo, “Tell Cora to get ready.”

Kallo nodded and turned back to his controls. Peebee shot him a last glance before heading down the garage with Ryder. Ever since their little, relaxation session last night, Sara seemed less tense. _Not that I did a lot anyway, she did all the job. I just moaned and writhed while she did everything!_

Peebee was so absorbed in her day-dreaming that she unintentionally bumped onto Sara’s back. Ryder let out a silent groan as Peebee’s forehead hit the back of her head.

“Sorry, sorry!” Peebee quickly apologized.

“You look distracted. Is it because of last night?” Sara asked with a wink. She slowly passed her tongue across her lips, causing Peebee to blush uncomfortably.

“How can you look so sexy and silly at the same time?”

“It’s because of my irresistible charm,” Sara replied, moving past the Nomad.

Peebee chuckled and went to the worktable to take her weapons. She looked at the all the firearms sprayed on the table; she never liked carrying large guns such as the M-8 Avenger, or the N-7 Valkyrie, these were Ryder’s favorite guns. Peebee always opted for something more classy, such as the Carnifex and the M-25 Hornet.

“Why do you always use pistols?” Sara asked.

“I prefer small things, that’s why I love you so much,” Peebee said with a wink.

“I'm not that small,” Sara protested, pretending to be insulted.

Cora appeared from behind the Nomad, in her hands was the box with the transmitter in it. The woman was already suited up, and Peebee noticed that she had an M-3 Predator holstered on her left hip.

“See,” Peebee said, pointing at Cora with her index finger. “I’m not the only one who likes pistols!”

“Are you two finished?” Cora asked, her face cool and unhappy. “We got something to do.”

Ryder secured a handgun in her hip holster and swung the M-8 Avenger around her back, the magnets in her armor plates held the gun tightly secured between her shoulder blades. In full armor, Sara looked more like a warrior than an explorer; it also made her look a lot older than she actually was.

Sara was beginning to walk toward the ramp when Peebee stepped in front; a helmet clutched in her hands. “Hey, don’t forget this,” she said, handing her the white and blue helmet.

“Thanks, I don’t know what I would do without you,” Sara said, a genuine smile plastered on her face.

 

The inside of the outpost was spooky, to say the least. Pirates were staring intently at the new guests, one of them winked at Sara and slapped her ass as he walked past her. She inhaled for a long moment, trying not to puke as the man’s hand slid away from her posterior.

Peebee glowered at the man, her hands unconsciously reaching for her holstered pistols. She felt Ryder’s hand squeezing her right arm, stopping her from doing anything stupid.

“Stay calm; we're not here to make a scene!” Ryder said, her voice suddenly hard.

Cora looked furtively at their surroundings; she counted at least twenty pirates and five workers present on the landing deck. These workers probably also carried a concealed weapon, Sara thought as she shot a glance in their direction.

The deck was enormous, as far as Ryder’s eyes could see, there were at least five or six other identical levels to the one they were currently walking on. Looking up, Sara didn’t need SAM’s help to notice the two heavily armored ships parked on the level above. The Zerka clan was better equipped than Sara had imagined. The idea of a criminal organization possessing better vessels than the Initiative, made Ryder's blood go cold. She would have to report to Kandros that Zerka wasn’t as small an organization as they claimed to be.

“How long will we be here?” Peebee asked, her eyes scanning around for trouble. “This place isn’t exactly a five-star hotel.”

“Not very long,” Sara responded, her fingers passing over the butt of the M-3 Predator on her left hip. “Here’s our welcoming committee. Stay sharp everyone!”

A bald man appeared from a corner and walked quickly toward Ryder’s group. Two armed men flanked him on both sides, their rifles aimed at the three women before them. “Welcome, Pathfinder!” The man said nonchalantly. “Before you follow me, I want all of you to hand over to my men all weapons you might have on you. And that includes omni-tools as well.”

Before either Cora or Peebee could object to the order, Ryder surrendered all her weapons to the criminals. She then motioned at her companions to do the same.

“Omni-tools as well!” the man repeated harshly.

Sara shot him a look and unclasped the device from her left arm. It felt weird not to have it on her anymore; she had been wearing it for so long that she had forgotten how light her arm felt without it.

“You have our weapons and omni-tools, can we proceed now?” Sara said impatiently.

“Follow me, your highness!” the bald man said in an arrogant tone, his head bowing slightly.

Ryder glared at him, struggling to keep her anger in check. She wanted to hit the guy in the face with the butt of her weapon, but she couldn’t do so without starting a war with Zerka. Bitting her lower lip, she followed the man without saying anything.

The walk didn’t take very long, the office the three thugs took them to was about a few hundred meters away from the landing deck. The bald guy hadn’t talked much either, he had been too preoccupied reading and writing stuff on his datapad, and Ryder was glad he didn’t speak because she hated the sound of his voice.

The office, if you could call it that, was as big as a storage closet. It had one computer and one desk with three chairs, and under the desk, Sara saw a supposedly concealed Carnifex pistol. Either this man was an idiot, or he wanted his guests to know that he could, and would kill them if he felt like it.

“Take a seat,” the man said, pointing at a chair. “And tell your subordinate to give me the box she’s carrying!”

“Cora, give him the transmitter,” Sara ordered as she took her seat. _At least the chairs are comfortable._ Now that she had time to study the man, Sara noticed the tag with the name Carl strapped on his jacket.

“Thank you, the boss will be delighted to know that package has arrived,” Carl said, taking the glowing box as he stood up. “If you will excuse me, I have a holo-call to make!” He spun around and exited the room.

Ryder threw her hand under the office desk and tried to feel for the Carnifex, but she didn’t find it. _Damn it; he’s not that dumb after all!_ Truth be told, she only half expected Carl to forget about the weapon. _No, not that dumb at all._

“I don’t trust that guy or anyone around here!” Cora said.

“I don’t either,” Ryder answered, her eyes flicking toward the door. “I can’t shake that feeling that something big is about to go down!”

Peebee stared at her, a concerned look in her eyes. “What do you mean? I don’t think those pirates would be stupid enough to try and kill us!”

“I’m not so sure about that, Peebs,” Sara replied.

“The Zerka clan is clearly under the control of our hostage taker,” Peebee started. “He still needs you, so it makes sense to assume that we’re safe for now.”

“Maybe.” Sara stood up and walked to the door. “But, if there is one thing I’ve learned from my years in the Alliance is to trust my instincts!”

 Through the door’s small window, Sara could see two pirates standing guard by the door; their heavy rifles clenched in hands. Carl was nowhere to be seen, and that worried her. _Maybe I'm just paranoid!_

“Well, if your instincts are right, we should have a backup plan,” Cora suggested.

Ryder nodded and walked back to the center of the room. “I agree. Even without weapons, we’re still dangerous. I bet Carl forgot about our biotic powers.”

“Are you suggesting we blast our way out of here?” Cora asked.

“If it comes to that, yes.”

An hour passed before Carl returned to the office, only he wasn’t alone this time. Three soldiers flanked him, their faces hidden behind black helmets. That funny feeling reappeared in Ryder’s stomach, but she forced herself to keep a straight face and to remain calm.

Carl looked at Ryder, his eyes cold and calculative. “The boss has a message for you,” he said, throwing a tablet at her.

Sara opened it and pressed on the file that had her family name on it. A long text appeared on display, and she quickly read it.

“He wants me to go where?” Sara said, her eyes widening with dismay. “You do realize that the Onaon system is under Kett control right? How am I supposed to get passed that many war vessels without being seen?”

Carl smirked, his face contorting into a disgusting smile that gave Ryder the creeps. “You’re the Pathfinder; you’ll find a way,” he said. “Besides, you don’t really have a choice; not if you ever want to see your brother again!”

Ryder felt her blood boiling inside her, and with a sheer effort of will, she managed to keep her feelings in check. From the corner of her eye, she saw Cora’s biotics glowing around her fists as she started to step forward.

The two soldier in armor rose their weapons and aimed them directly at Cora’s head. Sara turned her head and shot Harper a look, silently telling her to calm down. The biotics didn’t fade, but at least she stopped in her tracks and didn’t do anything stupid.

“Tell your boss that I will figure a way,” Sara said harshly. “On the meantime, I want to speak with my brother!”

“You can talk with him once the objective is accomplished!” Carl spat impatiently.

“Before I do anything, Cora and I need to make sure he’s okay!”

The pirate leader drew his sidearm and pointed it at Peebee’s tummy, his finger already applying a bit of pressure on the trigger. Sara’s eyes went wide, and she unconsciously took a step forward, trying to shield the asari from the gun.

“Do as you are told, or things will go badly for your friends,” he said. He stared at Ryder for a long time, silently daring her to try something stupid.

Sara stared back at him, fiery anger burning in her blue eyes. Her jaw was tight, and her fingers closed into fists, she could take him out before he could hurt Peebee or Cora. _I could stop him from hurting anyone else ever again!_

“Shoot her, and you’ll regret it!” Sara said coldly.

Carl let out a long and awkward laugh and lowered the Carnifex. “You have six days to accomplish the mission, so you better get moving,” he said, putting his pistol back in its holster.

“Let’s go, guys,” Sara ordered, her eyes still locked with Carl’s.

 

Ten minutes later, the Tempest flew away from the outpost and disappeared into the blackness of space. After ordering Kallo to set a course for the Onaon system, Sara retired to her room. She took a quick shower and put on a relaxed outfit. Since the trip to Onaon would take two days of travel, Sara and her team would have devised a plan to infiltrate the Kett forces without being noticed.

Her stomach growled, she hadn’t had a decent meal since the mission on Habitat-7. _I think I smelled food coming from the kitchen. I wonder what Drack’s cooking, I’m famished!_

After calling Peebee to tell her to meet with her for dinner, she headed for the kitchen in a hurry. When the door opened, Drack spun his massive torso around to face her; a knife clutched in his right hand.

“Hey, Ryder,” he said, turning back to his original position.

“What the hell are you wearing?” Sara asked, struggling not to erupt in laughter.

“It’s an apron,” he said in a casual voice.

“Yeah, I know it’s an apron, but, have you seen yourself?” Sara giggled involuntarily. “I never thought I would see a krogan wearing a pink apron! I can die happy now.”

Drack walked to the nearest mirror and burst into laughter when he saw his reflection. Sara couldn’t contain herself anymore; she laughed so hard that tears slide down her cheeks.

“Vetra said I looked nice in that!” Drack said.

“You look like an old, oversized beetle wearing a skirt!” Sara replied, her stomach aching from all the laughter.

“Hey, what’s going on in here?” Peebee asked as she stepped into the galley. “Drack, what are you wearing?”

“Funny, Ryder said the same thing,” Drack said, returning his attention to his work. “You two are more alike than I thought.”

Sara waited for her wife to join her at the table, she gently kissed her on the lips when the asari took her seat next to her.

“Cora and I think we found a way to get past the Kett ships,” Peebee said. “We can use the Ghost Storm technology, just like we did two years ago.”

“Ghost Storm only works with two ships, we can’t pull it off all by ourselves,” Sara replied.

Drack dropped two steaming plates in front of them and left the kitchen, leaving the two of them to their business. Peebee took a mouth full of the delicious steak and closed her eyes as she chewed.

“Suvi helped me design a different version of the tech,” Peebee started. “Now, we can use it to fool the Kett into thinking we are one of them.”

“And you did all that in an hour?” Sara asked with amazement in her voice.

“I work well under pressure!” She winked at Ryder. “You should know that.”

Ryder’s face flushed a bit, and she laughed awkwardly, her mind going back to old memories of them sneaking into a storage closet to make out.

Sara finished eating her plate and went to the fridge, and came back to the table with a jar of chocolate ice cream. She took a full scoop and gave it to Peebee.

“Thanks, I love chocolate!”

“Who doesn’t?” Sara said, taking her own spoon.

“Tell me, did you have any episodes lately?” Peebee asked with her mouth full.

“No, not since before Habitat-7,” Sara answered. “But I know the hallucinations will come back eventually. I just hope it won’t happen during a gunfight.”

Peebee nodded, trying not to let her anxiety show on her face. She wanted to tell Lexi about Sara’s episodes, she could prescribe a medication that would help her, but Sara didn’t want the doctor to know about her condition. Ryder feared that Lexi would confine her to the Tempest, and she wasn’t going to take that risk, not with her brother’s life on the line.

“Look, I don’t mind keeping it a secret from Lexi, but you’ll have to tell her eventually,” Peebee said.

“I know,” Sara sighed. “I’ll tell her soon, I promise!”

“I wish I could help babe, I really do. But, I’m no doctor.”

“But, you’ve helped me a lot already, Peebs,” Sara said. She kissed the asari again, enjoying the sweet taste her lips left on hers. “Listen, if you finish eating this ice cream before I do, I’ll give you more than just a kiss tonight.”

“Oh, get ready to lose babe!”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Gore at the end of the chapter

“Exiting FTL in three, two, one,” Kallo announced, his hands already pulling on the lever that will reactivate the sublight engines.

The Onaon system looked unremarkable with its large asteroid belt and minor planets. The only thing that made it one of the most dangerous places in Andromeda was the substantial presence of Kett warships patrolling the area. If Sara’s studies of the sector were correct, the Kett not only had more than a hundred ships but also had electro mines spread around the asteroid belt.

“Activating Ghost storm technology,” Suvi announced. Her fingers danced across the dashboard, flicking switches and entering commands into the Tempest’s computers. “It looks like it’s working good, Pathfinder.”

“Are we sure?” Sara asked, cold sweat sliding down her back.  “We don’t want to get blasted out of the sky by the first Kett ship we encounter!”

Suvi stared at the viewport just in time to see the massive warship pass over their heads, not even aware that the Tempest wasn’t one of them. “I think that answers your question,” she said.

The scientist might have tried hiding her anxiety from showing in her voice, but the small twitch of her lower lip told Sara that she wasn’t as calm as she seemed.

“Well done,” Sara complimented her. “I just hope it’ll hold long enough for us to reach our destination.”

Kallo spun in his chair to face Ryder, his fingers still resting on the dashboard. “Excuse me Pathfinder, but you still haven’t given me the location,” he said.

“Head for the big asteroid in the middle of the belt,” Sara said, pointing at the viewport with her right index. “But be mindful of the mines floating near it, we don’t want to fry our systems like last time.”

“Right, not happening again,” Kallo replied, turning back to his original position. “I remember too well what happened last time we triggered one of these, and I’m not ready for a repeat!”

Memories of her time spent in captivity a year ago, flashed back in her mind as she walked out of the bridge. When she closed her eyes to calm herself, she saw the Omega Kett standing in front of her; his hand raised as he was about to punch her in the face. Sara felt her legs weaken, so she let her back slid along the closest wall, and buried her head in her knees. She tried to breathe, but a lump suddenly formed itself in her throat, preventing air from entering her lungs.

 More images flashed in her mind; she saw another Kett next to her, a needle clasped in his hands. She felt her chest burn the same way it had burned a year ago when the serum had spread itself through her body.

Tears formed in her eyes, but she didn’t cry, her captors didn’t like it when she cried. If she did, she would be punished, they would come back in her cell, and they would beat her until she was unconscious, and Sara didn’t want that to happen. She didn't want to see him again; she had to escape, she had to find a way out of this cell before he came back!

“Ryder?” she heard a voice call out to her.

Sara slowly reopened her eyes and sighed with relief when seeing Peebee standing before her, a worried look on her face. She looked frantically around, half expecting to see a Kett appear out of nowhere and attack her and her wife.

“Ryder are you okay?” Peebee asked.

“I don’t know,” Sara said, her voice sounded weird to her ears. Her mind was starting to come back to the present as she realized where she was. “For a sec, I thought I was back in that Kett prison ship! It felt like I was relieving this nightmare all over again!”

“It sounds like post-trauma anxiety, Sara,” Peebee said, kneeling next to her wife and putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You went through something awful last year; it’s normal to feel this way. Maybe we should go talk to Lexi about it; she can help you with this.”

“I can’t! It won’t take long for the Tempest to reach the asteroid belt, so I don’t really have time to talk about my feelings right now.”

Sara wiped the tears from her eyes and then cleaned her cheeks with the back of her right hand. Peebee was right, she should talk to a professional about her mental condition, but she just didn’t have the time to do it, not with everything going on in her life right now. She took a couple of deep breaths to calm her mind, slowly stood up and began to climb down the ladder that led to the sub level of the ship.

“We still have an hour or two before the mission, you could just let her know about your situation,” Peebee said as she stood back up.

“When did you two become best friends?” Sara asked impatiently.

“I don’t know, it kind of happened I guess,” Peebee replied, climbing down the ladder on Ryder’s right. “I wouldn't say we're best friends, she’s still annoying at times, but I’ve learned to be more respectful with her, and that’s your fault!”

“Listen, I’ll talk to her after the mission is done,” Ryder said.

Sara pressed a button on the wall panel and entered her room, and then motioned for Peebee to come in. It would take an hour or so for the Tempest to land on the asteroid, and Ryder didn’t want to spend that time waiting around and doing nothing. Peebee stepped into the room and locked the door behind her, and then grinned widely at Ryder as she quickly closed the gap between them.

 

* * *

 

 

The Nomad sped quickly across the rocky surface of the asteroid; it’s big wheels leaving large trails in their wake. The rover shook violently as it rolled over a large enough pothole. Vetra growled a cuss through clenched teeth, her hands gripping desperately at the back of the passenger seat.

“Ryder, do you have to hit every hole you see at full speed?” the turian woman asked.

“What, you don’t like my driving?” Sara asked in a sad tone. “You’re hurting my feelings!”

“No one likes your driving!” Vetra replied in a slightly shaky voice.

Sara chuckled a little as she maneuvered the Nomad around a pile of debris. With her right hand, she pressed a button on the dashboard, and a miniature replica of the asteroid appeared in front of her. Using her fingers, she enlarged the picture and examined the terrain. There were many routes she could take to reach the outlaw’s base, but the quickest one would take her there in under two hours. The only problem was that this particular road was filled with potholes and other obstacles.

Sara waved with her right hand and watched as the map disappeared. The mission was simple: infiltrate the base and eliminate the Captain. She had no doubt that the target had done many cruel things in his life, but Sara wasn’t a cold-blooded killer. Yes, she had killed before, but it was only in self-defense. _This mission is wrong; I can’t kill someone just because someone wants him dead!_

But she didn’t have a choice, her brother’s life was on the line. She sighed and rubbed her forehead with her right hand; this whole thing was starting to give her a headache.

“Hey, are you okay?” Peebee asked.

“Huh?” Sara said, her eyes refocusing on the road ahead. “Oh yes, I’m fine Peebs. I just wish we had more info on our hostage-taker, I hate not knowing who he is!”

“Maybe he’s just another Kett?” Peebee suggested.

“No, I don’t think so,” Sara replied. “I’ve never seen a Kett hiding behind a hoodie, plus his accent and speech pattern doesn’t match their species. I think we’re dealing with a human.”

Peebee stared back at her and grimaced as she slowly came to the same conclusion as Ryder did. “But why? We didn’t come here to terrorize the galaxy; we came here for a new start! What would a human gain by doing such a thing?”

Sara opened her mouth to reply when the Nomad jerked violently to the left, causing the car to skid for ten meters before coming to a halt. She hit her forehead on the window next to her and tasted blood in her mouth. Her vision was momentarily blurred, and her head spun a little as she struggled to unclasp her seatbelt.

Behind the passenger seat, Vetra groaned a curse as she also yanked herself free of her seatbelt. Peebee had already taken the first-aid kit from the back of her seat and was now disinfecting the wound on Sara’s head.

“Everyone alright?” Sara asked in a small voice. She winced when the alcohol filled clothe passed over the open wound on her forehead.

“No thanks to your driving skills!” Vetra said harshly.

“Don’t move, I’m trying to help you!” Peebee said. She grabbed Sara by the chin and gently pressed her head against the back of the driver’s seat. She finished wiping the blood from her wife’s forehead and then started to wrap a bandage around her head. “There, that’s the best I can do right now. Without omni-gel, the wound is gonna hurt for a while, and we don’t have any more painkillers. Maybe we should ask Lexi for a refill after we’re done here.”

“I’ll be fine, but we have to go,” Sara said, slowly putting her helmet back on her head. “We have to find this Orek guy before he escapes the base, so we’ll have to finish our little trip on foot.”

“Someone should stay behind to guard the Nomad,” Vetra said as she also put on her helmet. “You and Peebee find this guy, I’ll stay behind and fix the car.”

 

* * *

 

 

The walk was already taking longer than Ryder would have liked. They had had to take frequent breaks because of her concussed head, and so far, she had refused Peebee’s many offers to lean on her while they walk. She hadn’t rejected the proposals because of pride, but simply because she didn’t want her wife to strain herself uselessly.

“You got to admit that the view is stunning,” Peebee said as she gazed around her.

Sara nodded as she stared at the blue and green planet looming above them. She had never had the chance to gaze at a planet from that close, and it was beautiful. From what she had read about the history of this region, the Onaon asteroid belt were the remains of a star that had imploded thousands of years ago. The planet then caught the remains in its gravitational pull, and they got stuck there ever since.

“Yeah, it’s pretty awesome!” Sara replied. “Can you imagine how strong the pull from that planet must be to hold hundreds of rocks like this one?”

Peebee laughed and looked back at Sara.

“What’s so funny?” Ryder asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You are!” the asari replied between two chuckles. “I always found it funny when you get so excited about something!” She smiled at her wife through her rebreather. “It’s good to see you like that, all happy and excited.”

Ryder felt her lips curl into a smile; it did felt good to be happy for a change. Unfortunately, she knew the feeling wouldn’t last very long, not until she got her brother back safe and sound.

“Looks like we've reached the base,” Sara said, pointing at a small camera hovering a few meters above their heads. “This thing’s been following us for a few minutes now. I think it’s safe to assume that we’ve lost the element of surprise!”

Suddenly, the camera dropped down a couple of meters and hovered right in front of Sara, blocking her way. A red light blinked multiple times, and a small arm appeared from the machine’s guts and began scanning the two women.

“You are trespassing Outlaw territory!’ a deep, commanding voice erupted from the camera’s speakers. “State your names and business. We have dozens of snipers aimed at your heads, so don’t try anything stupid or you won’t live to see tomorrow morning.”

Sara slowly raised both hands and saw Peebee do the same from the corner of her eye. Judging by their extreme overreaction, Ryder guessed that this particular group of outlaws was a pretty important one.

“We’re not here to cause any troubles,” Sara lied. Her mission was to find the group leader and kill him, but she wasn’t going to tell them that. Besides, she wasn’t going to kill him either.

“Then why are you here?” the man answered through the camera’s speakers. “You either want to join our cause, or you seek trouble.”

“Are you deaf?” Peebee replied Impatiently. “We just told you we’re not looking for trouble!”

Sara turned her head toward her wife and gave her a warning look. _Is she trying to get us both killed?_ Ryder silently told her to stay quiet and not to provoke them again.

But, to Sara’s astonishment, the man didn’t reply with an insult or a threat, he just started to laugh so hard that Peebee looked at her in surprise.

“Oh, I like this one she’s spunky!” the man said after he recomposed himself. “ It’s a shame we don’t have more people with that attitude out here.” There was a moment of silence. “Alright, I believe you. Follow the camera; it will guide you to our base. We’ll be waiting for you.”

 

* * *

 

 

Vetra cussed through clenched teeth as she struggled to reassemble the wheel on the Nomad. Sweat ran down her forehead and stung her eyes. She blinked frustratingly and let the wheel fall to the ground. She’d been out here for almost two hours, trying to fix the broken parts and replace the missing ones. Two hours of long work, and she still wasn’t able to place the wheel back in its socket.

“Let’s take another look,” she said, lowering her head and torso until her helmet touched the rocky ground.

There, she saw something small gleaming as her flashlight’s beam illuminated it. It was round and metallic, and there was a little blinking light on its right side. Intrigued, Vetra reached for it with her free hand and pulled with all her strength. The device yanked free of the axle and brought it closer to her face.

“Well, hello there little piece of tech!” she said, turning the device with her thumb. “What were you doing under there?”

She wished she had a scanner like Ryder; it would make it easier for her to determine what the object was and what it did. But, upon further examination, she discovered that it wasn’t a simple piece of tech, but was, in fact, a brand new spying software. She had recognized the Spytech inc company logo almost instantly when she saw it.

“Oh, this isn’t good! Ryder, do you copy?”

Static filled her ears. She tried again, but the only answer she got was static. Ryder must be too far away for her comms to work, that, or something was jamming their transmissions. She felt a knot in her stomach, what if Ryder was hurt? What if she and Peebee were walking into a trap and Vetra couldn’t help them?

“No, now’s not the time to panic!” she chastised herself. “I’ll fix the car and then go after them.”

 

* * *

 

 

The guards had just finished searching Peebee when Sara saw an imposing man walking toward her. _This must be Orek._ She examined him with a quick glance. He was tall, solidly built and had a warm look on his face.

“So you’re the Pathfinder that I’ve heard about, the one that saved this galaxy two years ago?” he asked, stopping a few inches away from Sara. He extended a hand for Sara to shake.

“Ryder,” she answered, taking his hand in a firm grip. “And I’ve saved it twice, but who’s counting!”

“Twice eh? Well, you’ve built up a serious reputation, Ryder. Tell me, what are you doing so far from the Nexus?”

“I’m here to make a deal with you,” Sara said. “May we talk somewhere more private?”

“Follow me,” Orek answered as he spun around. “Tell me, is Tann still directing this shit show he calls a government?”

“Unfortunately, yes he is,” Sara answered.

“I never liked the guy, or any salarian to be honest,” Orek continued. “They creep me out, with their huge eyes looking at you. It’s like they’re constantly analyzing you, and it gives me the creeps.” He stopped, leaned his head in front of a retinal scanner, and waved Sara and Peebee inside the room. “Ladies first.”

Sara quickly examined the room, looking for possible exits and covers. The place was luxurious, the walls were shiny and covered with framed pictures of Orek with a woman, and next to the photographs stood a rack filled with weapons and grenades.

“Nice place you got here,” she said when the door closed behind Orek.

“Yeah, but it could be better,” he answered. He slumped in his seat and pointed at the two chairs in front of his desk, motioning the two women to take a seat. “So, Pathfinder, what kind of deal do you want to make with my organization?”

“Someone within the Zerka clan wants you dead,” Sara said bluntly. “I’m here to warn you about him.”

“Him?” Orek said. “If you’re talking about _The Illustrious One,_ I am already well aware that he wants me dead.”

Sara gave her wife a confused look before turning her attention back to Orek. “ _The Illustrious One_? That’s the name of Zerka’s big boss?”

“Yeah, but I thought you guys already knew that?” Orek paused to look at the two confused women sitting across him. “Anyhow, I won’t cower under a rock just because he made some threats about my well-being!”

“You don’t understand; he sent me here to kill you!” Sara said.

“What?” Orek replied, his hand quickly disappearing under his desk. “You bitch!”

Sara felt all her muscle tense as Orek abruptly stood up, gun pointed at her head. She quickly raised her hands in a show of surrender, but the tall man’s pistol didn’t waver for a second. To her right, Sara saw Peebee’s biotics flare up into life as she prepared to spring on her feet.

“I’m not gonna do it!” Sara shouted, trying to calm Orek down. “Think about it for a sec, why would I threaten you unarmed?” She paused. “Listen, I’m here to help you. I want to fake your death and put you under Initiative protection!”

“But, why?” Orek asked, his gun still aimed at Ryder’s head. The harshness in his voice started to fade as he realized that Sara wasn’t here to harm him. “Why did he ask you to kill me? Pathfinders don’t usually take orders from scumbags like us.”

“He kidnaped my brother and other people to force me to do his dirty job!” Sara said.

Orek finally brought his pistol back in his hip holster, and slowly sat back down on his chair. Using both his hands, he began to massage his throbbing head as he brought his eyes back on Ryder.

“What now?” he asked her.

“Now we make a fake report of your death, and we put you under our protection,” Sara replied.

Orek shook his head and leaned forward. “You think that you can protect me from him?” he said. “You don’t know him like I do. He is everywhere; he even has spies in your precious Initiative!”

Sara was about to reply when her nostrils suddenly picked up the scent of a weird smell. She brought her left hand to her face and used it to cover her nose and mouth.

 _“Pathfinder put your helmet back on, what you’re smelling is a toxic gas!”_ SAM said through her comms.

Sara didn’t have to repeat to Peebee what the AI had said; the asari had already secured her rebreather back on her mouth. Sara quickly put on her helmet before the gas could do any damage to her lungs.

 Orek tried to make a run for the door in hopes to escape his fate, but he loudly collapsed on the ground after his third step. He tried to get back on his feet, but his entire body suddenly felt too heavy for him.

“Orek!” Ryder shouted as she ran and knelt next to him.

The man’s hands desperately clasped around Sara’s left arm as he chocked to death. When the skin on his face started to peel off his skull, Sara lurched backward and fell on her ass. When she looked down, she saw in horror that Orek’s bloodied right hand was still hanging onto her left arm.

“Take it off! Take it off!” she screamed, waving her arm in the air in a desperate attempt to shake the hand loose.

Peebee knelt down, took the dead man’s hand and quickly threw it away with disgust. “C’mon, we got to get out of here!”

Sara felt an unpleasant feeling in her stomach as she bent forward. Her eyes watered and vomit spilled out of her mouth. She felt hands grabbing at her back, and before she realized what was happening, she was thrown out the window and landed hard on the dusty floor below.

Sara looked up and saw half a dozen armed men looming over her and Peebee, weapons aimed at their heads. _This is it; this is how I die!_ And with that thought, she closed her eyes and prepared herself for the inevitable.


	8. Chapter 8

Pain. That was all Peebee could feel at the moment. When she opened her mouth to shout Sara’s name, she tasted blood. She heard a loud coking noise, and when she looked up, she saw a tall woman aiming a repeater rifle at her.

“Sara, are you…” she started to say before the woman whacked her on the head with the butt of her rifle. The pain she felt was so intense she almost lost consciousness.

“No talking!” the scarred woman spat out, pressing the muzzle of her gun against Peebee’s neck. “Now, what did you do to our boss and why did you dive through the office window?"

“I thought we weren’t supposed to talk,” Peebee said. That little remark earned her a second blow on the head.

“I swear I will shoot you if you mess with me again!” the woman said.

“We dove because poisonous gas was flooding the office,” Ryder said in a week voice.

Peebee risked a glance to her left and saw Sara looking back at her, her left arm clutched under her stomach. Sara was visibly hurt, but Peebee couldn’t see how bad it was from here.

“She’s telling the truth Lara,” someone said from behind them. “Our AI’s report of the situation just came in, and it confirms what the Pathfinder said.”

Lara glared at her second in command before turning her attention back to Peebee, her rifle still pressed tightly on the asari’s neck. “And the boss?” she asked.

“Killed by the gas.”

Lara’s mouth dropped open in shock, and she even allowed herself to look the other way before remembering she was supposed to keep her eyes on Peebee. But before she could realize what was going on, the asari was already on her,  her entire body glowing blue as her biotics flared to life.

Peebee unleashed the most powerful discharge of biotics on Lara, sending the poor woman crashing hard against the wall at the end of the garage. Lara’s skull cracked as it impacted with the ground, killing her almost instantly. The two men that were standing next to her lifeless body gawked in horror as a pool of blood appeared from under Lara.

Peebee spun around as she heard footsteps coming from behind. As she turned around, she heard Sara’s pistol go off, and when her eyes finally settled on her opponent, she saw his head explode as the bullet perforated his skull from side to side.

“Peebee, cover!” Sara yelled over the noise, pointing at the stack of crates pilled near them.

The two women jumped behind cover just in time, as a salvo of bullets peppered the walls around them.

“I hope you have a plan to get us out of here?” Sara asked while reloading her pistol.

“Sure, it’s called: don’t die!” Peebee replied. “Do you have another gun for me?”

Sara shook her head. “No, I didn’t have time to pick another one. We need to find an exit fast, or we won’t live to fight another day.”

Peebee looked frantically around, looking for a way out the garage. She finally spotted one, but it was guarded by three heavily armed thugs.

“There’s only one exit, but those guys are blocking it.”

“And I can’t take them out without exposing myself to the guards on my left,” Sara said. “This is going to be ugly!”

The garage’s main door suddenly blew open, sending five thugs flying in all directions. Sara seized the opportunity to kill two more guards while they were distracted. She couldn’t see who the newcomer was, but she assumed it was a rival gang or one of her teammates.

“It’s the Nomad!” Peebee shouted over the chaos. “My god, they’ve finally decided to equip it with weapons and defensive capabilities!”

Sara’s eyes widened when she saw a huge mounted cannon appear on the roof of the car. The turret’s automatic integrated targeting system eliminated the guards one by one, killing all of them in less than ten seconds.

Ryder glanced at the carnage around her and struggled not to retch a second time. The walls and floor were sprayed with blood and brain parts, and the smell was atrocious.

“Sara, are you okay?” Peebee asked. “You don’t look so well.”

Ryder felt an uncomfortable feeling on her left side, and when she clasped her hand around her belly, she felt something warm and sticky sliding between her fingers. She looked down and saw blood. Her head started to spin, and her legs felt suddenly heavy.

“I…don’t…feel great!” Sara strode toward her wife, but her legs collapsed from under her.

“Ryder!” Peebee cried out as she caught her wife in her arms. “Vetra, help me!”

The turian ran to the asari’s sides, and without wasting time, she grabbed Ryder’s legs and helped Peebee carry her inside the Nomad. Vetra waited until Peebee gently settled the Pathfinder on the back seats before igniting the engines.

“Make sure you keep enough pressure on her wound!” Vetra shouted over her shoulder.

Peebee nodded as she clasped both her hands on the wound, sticking one finger inside the bullet hole. Ryder writhed in agony, her legs kicking wildly in the air as another wave of pain washed over her. Peebee used her free hand to unclasp Sara’s helmet before stroking her wife’s cheeks, hoping the gesture would somehow help Sara relax a little.

                           

Even though Vetra had pushed the engines of the Nomad to their maximum capacities, the trip back to the Tempest had taken them half an hour. For Peebee, this half hour had felt like an eternity, as she watched her wife suffer in her arms. When they finally reached the ship, Lexi was already waiting at the top of the ramp, her left hand holding a stim-shot that she administrated to Sara. The group took the now unconscious Pathfinder to the medical bay, and gently lowered her on the best closest to the door.

Peebee watched as Lexi stripped the bloodstained armor off Sara’s body and threw it on the bed next to her. With the help of her surgical pliers, the doctor expertly removed the bullet from Sara’s tummy and then disposed of it in a toxic waste jar.

Per Lexi’s request, Peebee had left the med bay and was now waiting in the meeting room upstairs. Since she was too anxious to just sit around and do nothing, she had decided to work on a project she had started almost two years ago. Working with Remtech always helped her take her mind off of things, and right now, she needed the distraction.

“How is she?” Cora’s voice came from her left.

Peebee gently sat her tools on the ground and turned around to face the human. “She’s still under, but Lexi assured me she'd be fine,” she said. “I don’t know why I’m so worried; it’s like it’s the first time I see Ryder like this. Probably won’t be the last time either.”

“Well, I’d be worried too, Peebee,” Cora sat on the couch next to the asari. “She’s your wife; it’s normal to feel the way you feel right now. And remember, her body might be able to take the trauma, but her mind isn’t.”

That was what worried Peebee the most. Sara could hide behind her smiles and quips, she might tell her she was mentally alright, but Peebee knew better. The past months had been a living hell for both of them, and when Sara finally made progress, she had to get shot in the stomach.

One hour later, Sara was awake and already unhappy about being stuck in the med bay, again. Peebee had brought her breakfast and a cold glass of orange juice. The warm food and tasty juice had at least improved her mood a little.

Lexi did her usual examination, took her pressure, redid her bandages, and gave her two more painkillers. An hour later, Sara was sleeping in her bed, and Peebee was pacing in the meeting room.

She couldn’t sleep, she had too much on her mind. So she had come here for the second time today, trying to figure a way out of this mess. Sara couldn’t continue like that for much longer, or she would crack. Peebee had to figure a way to find this _Illustrious One_ and take him down.

“SAM, can you do something for me?” she asked.

“ _Of course,_ ” the AI replied.

“Search for the name, _The Illustrious One_ , and tell me everything you have on him.”

 A few minutes later, SAM had transferred to her datapad all the information he had managed to collect about her query. What Peebee was reading wasn’t much, but it was something. The data on him was sparse, and the only important thing she found in the files, was a name: Olivia Bowden.

“SAM, search for Olivia Bowden.”

“ _Olivia Catherine Bowden: Human female, British, two meters tall, has brown hair and a scar on her left cheek. She started her career as a mechanic at her father’s shop. Her father and mother were killed during a Cerberus raid on her colony world. She then enrolled in the Alliance military and became the youngest officer in her battalion. She was briefly considered for the N7 program but was quickly rejected by Alec Ryder shortly after.”_

“Hang on,” Peebee interrupted. “She was rejected by Sara’s dad? That could explain why she hates Sara so much.”

“ _It is a possibility, but it hardly explains why she’s terrorizing the entire cluster. Her military files also mention that she was unstable and quickly prone to violence. It also says that she later experienced a malfunction with her implant, which caused side effects such as depression, hallucinations, and violent headaches. She had to resign her post in the army. She later joined the Andromeda Initiative as a security agent. After following in the footsteps of Sloane Kelly, she got exiled to Kadara and began living a life of crime. Last year, she reappeared as the leader of a religious cult called: The Illuminated.”_

 _So, she’s a religious freak who hates Ryder and the entire Andromeda Initiative._ Peebee rubbed her throbbing temples with her fingers and closed her eyes. A damn headache was threatening to surface.

Besides having Olivia’s backstory and her military history, Peebee still had no idea where this lunatic was hiding. She replayed the very first video Olivia had sent them a few weeks ago in the hopes of finding something familiar in the background. After an hour of looking for small details such as a reflection in a window, or a serial number on an empty crate, Peebee decided to take a break. She closed her datapad and dropped it on the vacant seat on the couch.

An idea popped into mind as she was about to fall asleep. She sat upright and reopened her datapad. _I might have a way to find out where the hostages are. Why didn’t I think of it earlier!_

Peebee opened her facial recognition software and ran the only picture of Olivia she found in the Initiative’s databanks. It took a while, but she finally had a hit.

“I got you!”

***

Sara woke up in a start; her chest was burning. She was drenched from head to toe, and even though she hadn't looked in a mirror, Sara knew she looked like shit. She glanced at the digital clock on her nightstand; it showed five thirty in the morning. _I’ve slept ten hours! Why didn’t Peebee wake me up?_

Ryder passed her hands through her hair, closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths, remembering the relaxation techniques Lexi had taught her. _Go to your happy place, breath. It was just a dream; it wasn’t real._ But it hadn’t felt like a dream.

The gunshot wound was burning with pain every time she inhaled. Frustrated, Sara opened her eyes and looked at the bloodstained bandages on her stomach. _Great, I’ll have to ask Lexi to change them again!_

“ _Good morning Ryder,”_ SAM said, startling her.

“Morning SAM,” she said back.

_“Peebee didn’t want to wake you up, so she asked me to tell you that you need to go see her as soon as you can.”_

Ryder understood why Peebee hadn’t slept with her last night, but it didn’t make her feel less lonely. She missed waking up with Peebee by her sides, missed feeling the warmth of her body against hers. In the past weeks, she had only slept twice with her wife.

“Do you mind telling me what this is about?” Sara asked as she put on her pants.

“ _Peebee prohibited me from saying anything. She said she wanted to be the one to tell you.”_

“Well, I better go see her now then.” She took a glance at her at her shirt and swore. “Could you give Lexi a heads up and let her know that I’m swinging by the med bay for a change of bandages?”

***

With a well-rested mind and a set of new bandages, Sara headed for the escape pod to meet her wife. SAM had told her that Peebee had discovered something important to tell her, but refused to tell her what it was.

“Hey babe,” Sara said as she stepped in the room.

“Hey, how do you feel?” Peebee asked, glancing at the bandages on Ryder’s stomach. “I’m sorry you slept alone, I didn’t want to bother you.”

“It’s ok. SAM said you had something important to tell me?”

“Yes,” Peebee said, handing her a datapad. “I found where our infamous _Illustrious one_ is hiding.”

Sara studied the data on the screen, her heart racing in her chest. “Hang in there Scott; I’m coming for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, sorry it took me 4 months to update it, life hasn't been kind lately. Thanks for reading, and more will come very soon.


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